The state is worried about how rising fuel prices affect not only the public but Florida’s agriculture industry. The Florida Department of Agriculture has created a web site to help people gauge gasoline prices in 20 major cities including Sarasota, Punta Gorda, Fort Myers and Naples. The Agency’s Terry Macelroy says it will provide weekly updates on the average price of regular, mid-grade and premium gasoline, as well as diesel.

“For example if you click on Miami and you see it’s 2.97, while it doesn’t tell you what the universe of stations in Miami are selling it for – if you pull into a station and you’re paying 2.89 I think you can be confident you’ve got a good deal on the other hand if you pull into a station and it’s 3.05 you might drive a couple blocks to see if you can do better.”

Macelroy says the state's farmers have seen fuel prices increase by nearly 70 cents a gallon in the past year, adding more than 100 million dollars to their agricultural production costs.
The web site is www.Florida-agriculture.com/gasprices