Gas price continues to decline

Gas price

continues

to decline

BRADENTON -- Gasoline prices in the Bradenton-Sarasota area dropped another 1.5 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $1.98 a gallon to start the week.

According to GasBuddy's daily survey of 308 area gas outlets, prices are 60.1 cents per gallon lower than the same day one year ago and are 16.7 cents per gallon lower than a month ago. This compares with the national average that has fallen 1.7 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.01 a gallon, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.

Across Florida, the average was $2.03 a gallon, down 2.4 cents per gallon from last week's $2.05 a gallon. In Tampa, prices were lower at $1.93 a gallon.

"We are going to end this year with the lowest gas prices since 2008, and people want to know, can it get even lower? Yes, it can," says Jeff Pelton, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy. "There is simply too much crude oil out there for gas prices not to decline."

The national average is at its lowest price since 2009 and is near the $2 per gallon threshold, AAA reported Monday.

Lake Flores proposal awarded by state group

MANATEE -- Lake Flores, a mixed-use residential development proposed for southwest Manatee County, was recently recognized by the Florida Planning and Zoning Association as being as an "Outstanding Planning Project." The award was presented to Whiting Preston by the association's Gulf Coast Chapter on Dec. 4 at its 2015 holiday luncheon in Bradenton.

Lake Flores has been proposed for nearly 1,300 acres stretching from IMG Academy west to 86th Street between Cortez Road and El Conquistador Parkway. Lake Flores may include as many as 6,500 homes, 3 million square feet of retail and office space, and 500 hotel rooms. The community has also been planned to include a multi-modal trail and neighborhoods that promote localized travel and non-motorized travel.

Safety of hoverboard faces more scrutiny

One of the hottest toys this holiday season is facing more scrutiny over potential safety concerns.

Hoverboard-maker Swagway said it received a notice from Amazon.com Inc. on Friday asking for documentation that shows all of its hoverboards comply with safety standards, including the batteries and chargers. The South Bend, Ind.-based company said the notice went out to all hoverboard sellers and that Swagway already meets all of those requirements and has sent the requested information to Amazon.

No Swagway products were listed on Amazon.com early Monday morning. In a statement, the company said the removal was not specific to Swagway, but also included "97 percent" of the other branded hoverboards that were sold on the site.

Almost a dozen airlines, including Delta, American and United, have banned hoverboards because of concerns that the products' lithium-ion batteries could overheat or catch fire.

-- Herald staff, wire reports

This story was originally published December 14, 2015 at 7:52 PM with the headline "Gas price continues to decline ."