Pain at the pump: Florida gas prices hold steady, national average jumps again

ORLANDO, Fla. — Drivers are paying more for gas than ever before.

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While the price of gas in Florida held steady Tuesday, the national average jumped another 5 cents, according to AAA.

The state average — which currently sits at $4.76 per gallon — jumped 18 cents in just a week.

It’s a 57-cent increase in the last month and almost two dollars more than what drivers were paying around the same time last year.

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AAA says it now costs an average of $29 more for a tank of gas than it did a year ago.

The auto giant said Monday that another spike — upwards of 20 cents per gallon — is possible in the near future in Florida.

High demand and fierce global competition for supplies have contributed to the increase in gas prices.

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Officials in President Joe Biden’s administration have blamed oil companies that have said they will not increase production.

“When an oil company is deciding hour-by-hour how much to charge you for a gallon of gas, they aren’t calling the administration and asking what they should do,” U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said. “They are doing it based on their goal of maximizing their profit.”

READ: Gas prices in Florida continue to break records

Gas Buddy analysts say the Biden administration’s policies on the oil and gas sector haven’t inspired confidence for oil and gas executives to invest.

A new ABC News/Ipsos poll shows 74% of Americans say gas prices are extremely or very important to how they will vote in the November midterm elections.

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