Floridians face fuel shortages at gas stations as they flee state ahead of Hurricane Milton

More than a thousand gas stations in Florida were out of fuel on Tuesday afternoon, per GasBuddy, as thousands of residents flee the state ahead of Hurricane Milton.

The hurricane is expected to make landfall in Florida late Wednesday or early Thursday as a Category 3 or 4 storm. As of press time, Milton is a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 165 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center. Evacuation orders have been issued on much of the state's western coast. 

Residents warned that there was a mix of congested roads and a shortage of fuel at gas stations, with stations in the Fort Myers/Naples and Tampa/St. Petersburg areas being the hardest hit, according to CBS News. As of 2 p.m. on Tuesday 17.4% of gas stations statewide were out of gas.

"Best bets for motorists evacuating that need fuel: major travel stops have larger underground tanks and have more resources generally — trucks and drivers," Gas Buddy petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan posted to X. "Or large chains as well that have many locations. Fuel is flowing but stations are having a hard time keeping up."

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis attempted to ease concerns about the shortage during a press briefing on Tuesday morning, claiming that there is plenty of fuel flowing into the state. He also noted that Florida Highway Patrol workers are escorting more fuel to gas stations on evacuation routes.

"You can't tell someone outside a pump with no gas that there's no shortage," De Haan told CBS. "Some of the bigger names, if they run out, it could be an hour or two — but some stations could be out 24 hours."

De Haan added that Florida residents should not to panic over the shortage, and encouraged them to wait to get gas if there is no immediate need.

Ned Bowman, spokesperson for the Florida Petroleum Marketers Association, claimed the situation is normal for hurricanes, and said residents should not be too concerned that some stations have temporarily run dry, because more suppliers are continuously sending more fuel to stations that request it.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.