Gas Prices May Be Going Up Permanently in Pinellas County
Filling up St. Pete and Clearwater may be a bit more expensive soon. The Tampa Bay Times reports that Pinellas County is thinking about bumping up the tax on gasoline. Right now, it’s 7 cents per gallon. That might jump to 12 cents. 12 cents per gallon is the maximum the state of Florida allows.
Prices for gas are already expected to rise due to a shortage of truck drivers. More people are online shopping and there just aren’t enough qualified, trained drivers. CNN reports vacation destinations like Florida might even see gas shortages.
Why the jump for Pinellas? The Times reports the county has paid out about a half million in incidents due to sidewalks and roads needing repair. They think bumping up the gas tax will generate $10 million every year to address the repairs needed. Commissioner Pat Gerard told the Times “If you don’t want bumpy sidewalks and don’t want roads that have huge holes, basically you have to pay for it.” [Sources: TBT, CNN]
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