Gas prices hold steady in Bradenton-Sarasota, but seasonal rise is on its way

Gas prices in the Manatee-Sarasota area continue to hold steady, but analysts continue to warn that the seasonal rise is on its way.

According to AAA’s fuel tracker, stations in the two-county area were averaging $2.23 per gallon on Monday, down a penny in the past week. The state average of $2.28 remained unchanged.

Now, motorists await the spring sting, as analysts have warned that prices could surge as much as 75 cents per gallon by Memorial Day.

“The seasonal increase hasn’t begun yet, but it’s coming,” said Mark Jenkins, a spokesman for AAA. “Prices usually rise this time of year as refineries power-down some of their machinery for routine maintenance and prepare for the switch to the more expensive summer blend gasoline. Because of the outages, refineries don’t produce as much gasoline. All this comes at a time when demand typically rises as Americans resume road trips in the spring.”

This time a year ago, the average price in Bradenton-Sarasota was $1.68.

“With refinery maintenance and turnarounds beginning across the country, we’ll likely see a draw down on winter gasoline stocks, leading the national average to rise in the week ahead,” said Patrick DeHaan, a senior petroleum analyst for fuel-tracking website GasBuddy.com.

According to Gasbuddy’s daily survey of 308 area gas outlets, Manatee County stations were averaging $2.18 on Monday, while Sarasota County was at $2.28.

Manatee County’s average was in line with the three lowest regional averages in the state – Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater ($2.17), Orlando ($2.19) and Jacksonville ($2.19).

West Palm Beach-Boca Raton ($2.46), Miami ($2.40) and Fort Lauderdale ($2.39) had the state’s three highest averages.

The national average was $2.29 on Monday, up a penny from a week ago.

This story was originally published February 27, 2017 at 11:04 AM with the headline "Gas prices hold steady in Bradenton-Sarasota, but seasonal rise is on its way."