Gas prices remain steady, but expect costs to escalate in near future

After 36 consecutive days of declines, gas prices ticked up slightly over the weekend across Florida, though motorists didn’t see a difference at the pump.

According to AAA’s fuel tracker, prices across the Bradenton-Sarasota area were averaging $2.25 per gallon on Monday, one cent less than this time last week.

But with spring training and spring break fast approaching, expect prices to start to rise in the near future.

“The era of falling gasoline prices will likely be coming to an end soon at a gas station near you,” said Patrick DeHaan, a senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com. “Not to say declines are completely done, but over the next few weeks we’ll likely see more times when stations are raising their prices then dropping them.”

At $2.25 per gallon, the Bradenton-Sarasota area ranked below the state and national averages – both $2.28. For comparison, Florida’s lowest regional averages were Orlando ($2.19), Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater ($2.19) and Jacksonville ($2.20).

According to Gasbuddy’s daily survey of 308 area outlets, Manatee County stations were averaging $2.21 per gallon on Monday, with Sarasota County at $2.29. Nearby, Pinellas County was averaging $2.18 per gallon, and Hillsborough was at $2.21.

“Low demand is keeping downward pressure on gasoline prices,” said Josh Carrasco, a spokesman for AAA. “Gas prices should remain steady in the near-term before taking their seasonal upswing as we head into the spring.”

With that, analysts say we could see prices rise 35-65 cents per gallon by Memorial Day.

“There’s no reason to believe (that) won’t happen this year, so buckle up,” DeHaan said.

This story was originally published February 13, 2017 at 9:48 AM with the headline "Gas prices remain steady, but expect costs to escalate in near future."