ORLANDO, Fla. — The flood risk to homes and apartments across Central Florida after Hurricane Ian struck has been obvious. But few drivers would suspect there could be a water problem at the gas pump, too.
Chris Lipsey thought his Ford F-150 truck’s engine was dying right on the road. The steering wheel would not stop shaking.
“Sputtering in the rear end, basically (the truck) was acting like it wanted to come to a complete stop,” Lipsey said.
According to Lipsey, he had just filled his tank at the Sunoco Gas Station on Geneva Drive in Oviedo, so he suspected something was wrong with the gas.
Both consumers contacted the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which regulates petroleum sales.
The agency sent an inspector to the gas station within 24 hours.
Action 9 checked with the state, which said that since the storm hit, there have been 50 complaints involving gas stations, and so far, 22 cases could be attributed to water in the gas.
The agency also confirmed its inspector found water contamination at the Sunoco Station on Geneva Drive, and it ordered the pumps shut down.
The station’s owner told Action 9 that a leak had been repaired, and he’s waiting on another state inspection before the pumps are turned back on.
Video: Wave of evictions to follow Hurricane Ian flooding in Central Florida Residents found out they’d be forced to leave their flooded first-floor units by the end of the month in Orange County. (Phylicia Ashley, WFTV.com)
After an inspection verifies contamination, state regulations require the station to pay consumers for their losses, including engine repairs.
Lipsey is thankful for the quick action by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and said an inspection of his vehicle confirmed there was water in the gas.
“It’s unimaginable how fast it can hit you,” he said.
Your gas can also be contaminated after purchase, so it’s important to contact the Florida Department of Agriculture right away so its inspection can verify what happened.
Submit a claim to the agency by phone or online and save all your receipts for gas, towing and repairs.
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Photos: Days after Hurricane Ian, inland Florida still reeling from floods National Guardsmen transport meals ready-to-eat to a community cut off by flooding in the wake of Hurricane Ian near the Peace River on October 4, 2022, in Arcadia, Florida. Fifty miles inland, and nearly a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the record-breaking floodwaters in the area are receding to reveal the full effects of the storm. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Photos: Days after Hurricane Ian, inland Florida still reeling from floods Travel trailers are inundated by floodwaters at the Peace River Campground on October 4, 2022, in Arcadia, Florida. Fifty miles inland, and nearly a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the record-breaking floodwaters in the area are receding to reveal the full effects of the storm. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Photos: Days after Hurricane Ian, inland Florida still reeling from floods Mack Martin walks along train tracks surrounded by floodwaters at the Peace River on October 4, 2022, in Arcadia, Florida. Fifty miles inland, and nearly a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the record-breaking floodwaters in the area are receding to reveal the full effects of the storm. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Photos: Days after Hurricane Ian, inland Florida still reeling from floods An Okeechobee County sheriff's deputy watches a tractor-trailer drive down a flooded street to reach a community cutoff of by floodwaters from the Peace River in the wake of Hurricane Ian on October 4, 2022, in Arcadia, Florida. Fifty miles inland, and nearly a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the record-breaking floodwaters in the area are receding to reveal the full effects of the storm. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Photos: Days after Hurricane Ian, inland Florida still reeling from floods People ride on an airboat along Peace River in the wake of Hurricane Ian on October 4, 2022, in Arcadia, Florida. Fifty miles inland, and nearly a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the record-breaking floodwaters in the area are receding to reveal the full effects of the storm. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Photos: Days after Hurricane Ian, inland Florida still reeling from floods People walk along a road closed to vehicle traffic due to flooding from the Peace River in the wake of Hurricane Ian on October 4, 2022, in Arcadia, Florida. Fifty miles inland, and nearly a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the record-breaking floodwaters in the area are receding to reveal the full effects of the storm. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Photos: Days after Hurricane Ian, inland Florida still reeling from floods A Peace River campground is shown flooded in the wake of Hurricane Ian on October 4, 2022, in Arcadia, Florida. Fifty miles inland, and nearly a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the record-breaking floodwaters in the area are receding to reveal the full effects of the storm. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Photos: Days after Hurricane Ian, inland Florida still reeling from floods An ice and water machine sits in floodwaters in the wake of Hurricane Ian at the Peace River Campground on October 4, 2022, in Arcadia, Florida. Fifty miles inland, and nearly a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the record-breaking floodwaters in the area are receding to reveal the full effects of the storm. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Photos: Days after Hurricane Ian, inland Florida still reeling from floods National Guardsmen move cases of water near a flooded road in the wake of Hurricane Ian near the Peace River on October 4, 2022, in Arcadia, Florida. Fifty miles inland, and nearly a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the record-breaking floodwaters in the area are receding to reveal the full effects of the storm. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Photos: Days after Hurricane Ian, inland Florida still reeling from floods Utility trucks line up at a road block due to flooding from the Peace River in the wake of Hurricane Ian on October 4, 2022, in Arcadia, Florida. Fifty miles inland, and nearly a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the record-breaking floodwaters in the area are receding to reveal the full effects of the storm. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
