Jacksonville gas station drops price from $5.99 to $4.49 a gallon after Action News Jax calls owner

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News Jax’s Jessica Barreto is getting results, getting a North Jacksonville gas station to drop its price by $1.50 a gallon.

A viewer told us about a Texaco station on North Main Street that was charging $5.99 for unleaded gas.

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That is $1.62 more than the state average of $4.37 a gallon.

“Crazy,” said driver Alex Rivera, who went to the Texaco to fill up.

Barreto called and asked the gas station owner why they were charging this much.

The owner told Barreto she was out of plus and premium gas.

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She said she didn’t know what prices was going for locally because she’s out of town.

Barreto told the owner that $5.99 a gallon was above the state average. She said she would have an employee change the sign shortly.

After their call, Barreto saw an employee change the sign to $4.49 a gallon.

“That’s kinda strange,” Rivera said.

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Barreto reported the initial price of $5.99 a gallon to Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, whose office regulates gas pumps. She received the following response from Fried’s office:

“As the consumer protection agency for the state of Florida, we take holding scammers accountable very seriously. Since the Attorney General’s office handles price gouging investigations, we refer those complaints to their office. Our inspectors investigate complaints regarding pricing signage, fuel quality and labeling. Consumers can contact us for pricing discrepancies or if they suspect they aren’t getting what they paid for.”

Barreto has also reached out to Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office. We will let you know when we hear back.

If you encounter pricing discrepancies on the road, you can call the following hotline from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and submit your complaint: 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352)

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