Hernando County Gas Prices Hold Steady Amid Florida's Rising Fuel Costs

Pump prices in Spring Hill and across Hernando County held relatively steady over the weekend of March 16, even as Florida's statewide average for regular gasoline climbed to $3.729 per gallon Monday morning, up 1.3 cents from the prior days. The local reprieve came as two converging forces pushed prices higher elsewhere: an ongoing military conflict in the Middle East and the annual refinery switch to summer-blend fuel.

Florida and national averages have reached their highest levels since 2023, driven in large part by the Iran War, now in its 17th day as of Monday. Crude oil prices have soared more than 40% since the conflict began, with fighting disrupting global supply through the Strait of Hormuz. That shock to global markets arrived at a particularly costly moment, coinciding with U.S. refineries beginning their seasonal transition to producing less-polluting but more expensive summer-blend fuels.

"Even though fuel supplies in the United States remain steady and refineries continue to operate, higher crude and gasoline futures are lifting prices at the pump," said Mark Jenkins, the Tampa-based spokesman for AAA-The Auto Club, in his weekly fuel price update report on March 16.

The ripple effects extend beyond the gas station. Diesel prices have also risen significantly, increasing costs for the trucking industry and putting upward pressure on consumer goods more broadly.

Spring Hill sits within the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area, which encompasses Hernando County, and local price checks over the weekend indicated drivers there were largely insulated from the worst of the statewide increases. That holding pattern, however, may not last long. With refineries mid-transition to summer-blend production and no resolution to the Middle East conflict in sight, analysts and AAA both signal that another round of price hikes could arrive at Florida pumps within days.