President Donald Trump’s Iran war is causing a frenzy in his own community.
Some gas stations in South Florida reported temporary gasoline shortages as supply chain disruptions and a surge in demand—partly driven by panic buying—emptied tanks on Thursday.
“We have had some interruptions because demand is very high,” Maximo Alvarez, president of Sunshine Gasoline Distributors, told CBS News Miami. The company is based in Doral, Florida, and supplies about 600 stations.
“The biggest problem is that demand is up and transportation is limited. Drivers are only allowed to drive so many hours. That, plus it takes the time it takes, for example, to take gasoline from Port Everglades to the Keys. It takes 24 hours to send one load of gasoline,” he explained.
At a Shell station along S.W. 87th Ave in Miami, there was no gasoline available until a tanker truck arrived at about 2 p.m. on Thursday, according to CBS. Further down by Coral Way, an Exxon station only had premium gasoline for sale. In Coral Gables, a Westar station manager reported having “no gas at all” while waiting for a delivery.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” customer Rachel Ruiseco told the outlet after reluctantly paying more for premium gas. “I knew prices were really going up really high, but I did not know they would run out of gas.”
Alvarez said customers have been scrambling to fill up their tanks over a fear of rising prices.
“The problem is pretty much tied to the fact that people are buying more gasoline, perhaps more than they need. The prices are going up, and everyone wants to fill up. They are afraid prices are going to be higher, and the fear is affecting their behavior,” he said.
“The biggest message I have is that there is plenty of gasoline and people should not panic,” he added.
Mark Jenkins, a spokesman for the American Automobile Association, said he had not been hearing of widespread shortages across Florida, adding that such issues are typically resolved by the following day.
“In many cases, what you are likely seeing is an increase in demand right now where drivers are a little price-averse and they are comparing prices and are more likely to stop at stations where there are lower prices right now, and some stations might not be able to keep up with demand,” he said.
Earlier this week, the average price of gas in the U.S. breached $4 per gallon for the first time in four years, according to AAA.
In Florida, regular gas surged to an average of $4.22 per gallon from $3 just a month ago. The price hike is driven in part by the state’s lack of refining capacity despite being one of the top gas-consuming states, along with Texas and California.
In his national address on Wednesday night, Trump pinned the blame for rising gas prices on the Iranians while insisting that the price spikes are temporary.
“Many Americans have been concerned to see the recent rise in gasoline prices here at home. This short-term increase has been entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers and neighboring countries that have nothing to do with the conflict,” he said.
