Florida Gas Prices Hold at $4.08 as Diesel Tops $6 Again; Oil Dips After Trump's Russia Sanctions Waiver

Florida drivers paid an average of $4.08 for a gallon of regular gasoline on Monday, Oct. 19, according to AAA, up 1 cent from a week earlier and $1.18 more than the $2.90 they paid a year ago. The statewide average has now stayed above $4 for weeks, as crude oil climbed back above $100 a barrel and diesel returned to more than $6 a gallon in Florida, though a Russia sanctions waiver signed by President Donald Trump knocked oil prices down about 2% early Monday.

The national average was $4.30 on Monday, $1.26 a gallon more than a year ago, AAA said, according to a News Service of Florida report published by NBC 6 South Florida. Florida's price has run below the national figure for much of the fall, but both remain far above what drivers paid in October 2025.

A volatile week at the pump

The 1-cent weekly change hides a lot of movement. Florida's average rose to $4.23 in the middle of last week, similar to a jump to $4.19 the week before, before drifting back down, according to the News Service of Florida. AAA has described the pattern as price-cycling: stations undercut nearby competitors for several days, then raise prices sharply to recover revenue.

The swings come on top of a broader climb tied to the global oil market. Fall usually brings lower gas prices, but AAA said volatility in oil markets has pushed prices to seasonal record highs this year. AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins said oil prices went "back above $100 a barrel" last week, warning that the rise could trigger another round of increases at the pump this week.

Diesel, the fuel that moves freight trucks, farm equipment and construction machinery, rose back above $6 a gallon in Florida last week after nearly two weeks below that mark. It had dipped to $5.88 a week earlier. A year ago, Florida's diesel average was $3.57. Nationally, diesel averaged $6.32 on Monday.

Here is how Monday's figures compare with a year ago, according to AAA data reported by the News Service of Florida:

Electric vehicle drivers have been spared the volatility. Florida's average public charging cost was 41 cents per kilowatt-hour on Monday, mostly unchanged since early March, compared with 42 cents nationally.

Where gas costs the most and least

As usual, the Panhandle and North Florida had the state's cheapest gas, and the Florida Keys had the most expensive. Escambia County, home to Pensacola, averaged $3.85 a gallon, and Columbia County, which includes Lake City, averaged $3.86. Monroe County topped the state at $4.39.

Hurricane Isaias, which made landfall near Destin on Oct. 9, left a mark on prices in a handful of Panhandle counties east of the landfall point. Walton County averaged $4.02, Washington County $4.10 and Holmes County $4.12, even though those counties usually track closer to Escambia's lower prices, according to the News Service of Florida. Elsewhere, the storm had little lasting effect on pump prices.

As Isaias crossed the Gulf, up to about 70% of the region's crude oil and natural gas production was shut down, but workers returned quickly after landfall, limiting the impact on refineries and fuel supply.

Russia waiver pushes oil lower

Oil prices fell Monday after Trump signed an executive order late Friday that put new broad U.S. sanctions on Russia, including on its energy sector, on hold just days before they were due to take effect, the Associated Press reported. Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 2.1% to $107.55 a barrel in early trading, and U.S. benchmark crude dropped 1.9% to $97.19. The waiver is expected to allow more Russian energy exports onto world markets, and Ukraine expressed disappointment with the move, according to the AP.

The sanctions package, which Trump signed into law last month, targets Russian officials, banks and the shadow fleet of tankers that carries Russian energy exports, according to news reports. Trump told Congress the pause was in the national interest. The decision followed his announcement earlier this month of a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to buy Russian diesel, which the AP described as an attempt to bring down elevated U.S. fuel prices ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Trump said Russia would supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel immediately, 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons after that. Critics in both parties argued the arrangement would help finance Russia's war in Ukraine without meaningfully lowering prices.

Even with Monday's drop, oil remains well above where it stood before the war with Iran began, and the AP said supply risks tied to Middle East tensions, including uncertainty over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, continue to push prices up. AAA has long used a rule of thumb that each $10 change in the price of a barrel of crude translates to roughly 25 cents at the pump, and the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates crude makes up about half the retail price of gasoline.

How Florida got here

Florida's average has bounced in a narrow but high range since late September. It peaked near $4.37 in late September, fell to $4.08 by Oct. 4 after the Group of Seven agreed to release 100 million barrels from emergency reserves, and rose again to about $4.15 as Isaias approached the Gulf Coast. Attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities claimed by Houthi rebels pushed Brent above $105 earlier this month, adding to the pressure.

The high prices have become a political issue in Tallahassee and Washington. Florida's state gas tax is roughly 22 cents a gallon, and legislative leaders left a gas tax holiday out of the tax package approved in May, despite a push from Democrats, including House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell of Tampa. Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would sign a reduction but questioned whether it would make much difference, noting that the October 2022 gas tax holiday saved drivers about 13 cents a gallon.

For Florida households, the gap with last year adds up. A driver filling a 15-gallon tank pays about $61 at Monday's average, compared with about $44 a year ago. For businesses that rely on diesel, from trucking companies to farms and construction firms, the jump from $3.57 to more than $6 a gallon is even steeper and tends to filter into the prices of goods and services.

What's next

AAA warned that last week's return to $100 oil could bring another round of pump-price increases this week, though Monday's drop in crude following the sanctions waiver could blunt some of that. Price-cycling means drivers may see sharp mid-week jumps followed by gradual declines, so the price on the sign can change quickly from one day to the next.

Analysts will be watching whether Russian diesel shipments materialize, whether Congress pushes back on the sanctions waiver and whether tensions around the Strait of Hormuz ease or worsen. AAA typically issues its weekly Florida update on Mondays, which puts the next one on Oct. 26, about a week before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.