Florida Democrats are again calling for Gov. Ron DeSantis to suspend the state’s gas tax to ease elevated fuel prices caused by ongoing war with Iran.
This time it’s not just because of the effect on household budgets, but what it may do to the state’s vaunted tourism industry.
“We need to make it easier for the dollar to circulate,” House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell told reporters on Monday. “We know that tourism is essential to our state. And we just want to make it as easy as possible for Floridians to do that and to maintain our tourism industry, which supports thousands, probably millions of jobs in the state.”
The state’s motor fuel tax rate currently stands at 22 cents, according to the Department of Revenue.
The state rate does not include the inspection fee, the State Comprehensive Enhanced Transportation System Tax, or local options, that pushes rates in different counties to between 38 cents and 44 cents.
An average gallon of gas in Florida was $4.39 on Thursday, $1.49 more than on Feb. 28, when the conflict with Iran began.
Democrats started calling for the relief in March, when the average jumped to around $3.70 a gallon.
At the time, DeSantis rejected the proposal. He questioned the overall effect on prices and pointed to the need for the federal government to address the issue.
“My answer is just get the cost down internationally, and that means having stable energy markets, making sure we’re doing everything to get our stuff to market,” DeSantis said in Bradenton on March 19. “But I don’t know that there’s going to be any simple fix.”
This week, President Donald Trump told CBS News it would be “a great idea,” to pause the federal gas tax under the current hike. Congress would have to lift the tax.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday that “all measures that can be taken to lower the price at the pump and lower the prices for Americans, this administration is in support of.”
But he couldn’t predict energy prices in the short or medium terms, painting the war as “ending a 47-year conflict Iran has fought.”
The federal tax is 18.4 cents per gallon of gas and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel.
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This article appears in May 10-16, 2001.