Prices at the pump for Florida motorists should go down Saturday as part of a temporary gas-tax break, effective for the month of October.
Under the tax legislation, motorists will avoid paying the state’s 25.3-cents-a-gallon gas tax throughout October.
The measure was criticized by some Democrats as an election-year stunt by Governor Ron DeSantis and Republican lawmakers.
But GOP legislative leaders said they decided to provide the tax break in October because it’s a time when fewer tourists are in Florida than during other months.
Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic Calabro calls the discount “much-needed relief” but cautions against making it permanent. He says Florida ultimately needs the money for infrastructure and road building.
“We barely have the infrastructure that’s required to service the demands of 22 million Floridians today and the 120, 130-million tourists that visit the great state of Florida each year,” Calabro said. "We need to have the infrastructure of today and tomorrow."
It’s unclear how Hurricane Ian will affect gas prices.
President Joe Biden has cautioned the oil industry against using increased hurricane-related demand in Florida to hike prices.
