Gas Station in Florida Charges $5.39 per Gallon for Regular Grade

ABCNews

There’s no relief for Americans this morning from rising, record-setting gas prices.

The average cost of gas has jumped to $3.52 per gallon, up from $3.38 per gallon last week and 77 cents higher than a year ago.

It is the highest price ever posted during the month of March. And it could cost even more, depending on location.

At Suncoast Energys’ gas station in Orlando, Fla., gas prices have surpassed the $5 mark: $5.39 a gallon for regular and $5.49 for premium.

Suncoast is among the last gas stations for travelers heading to the Orlando airport, making it a prime spot for customers in a pinch.

When ABC News asked would-be Suncoast patrons about their choice of gas station and pointed out the high prices, some decided to look elsewhere to fill up their tanks.

“It’s lower than California, I know that,” one man said before experiencing sticker shock. “What the … I guess not.”

Sally Slater said she spent $75 to fill up her SUV with half a tank of gas, which is about $5.50 per gallon.

In Photos: Pain at the Pump

“This is like robbery,” Slater said, admitting that she didn’t look at the price of the gas before pumping. “If I had looked beforehand, I would not have purchased this.”

The least expensive gas is in Montana: $3.19 a gallon.

According to AAA’s daily gas prices, California has the most expensive gas at $3.90 for regular grade.

With consumers feeling the pain at the pump, oil prices neared $105 a barrel today in Asia today, as fighting continued in Libya.

Although unrest in Libya has yet to disrupt global oil supply significantly, analysts have said the markets remain concerned that the revolts percolating in the Middle East might affect supplies in the top oil exporters of the world.

Charles Dewhurst, national energy practice leader at BDO, said such concerns may turn into a reality.

“Now that the situation in Libya has been going on for two weeks, I think we are starting to see a disruption in supply,” Dewhurst said. “If the hostilities continue, and it seems to be heading for a long duration, I think the potential for more supply damage may be in store. That is carrying over to the price of gas at the pump.”

And as concerns about oil prices continue to increase, so has discussion about opening up the nation’s petroleum reserve.

President Obama’s chief of staff, William Daley, said Sunday that the White House is considering tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The reserve is located along the Gulf Coast and contains about 727 million barrels of oil.

“Whether we should tap into the strategic oil reserve, I think politically, that would be very popular,” Dewhurst said. “But if you think of the vast concerns about our daily consumption, experts predict that would only have a small percentage impact on the gas price.”

That news may have quelled investors momentarily, but they are still on edge about protests in Saudi Arabia.

“Oil investors are still very concerned even in light of the possibility the administration may open up the Strategic Petroleum Reserve,” said Patrick De Haan, petroleum analyst at GasBuddy.

Consumers who are feeling the pinch in gas prices at the pump may be able to turn to online tools such as GasBuddy.com. Visitors to the site can find the cheapest gas in their neighborhood by ZIP code, based on data collected and reported by its users. Users also can earn points and win prizes, such as a weekly $250 gas card, by reporting local pump prices.