Contaminated Gasoline Hits Southwest Florida Ahead of Tropical Storm Idalia

State officials report that gas delivered from the Port of Tampa was tainted, potentially having an influence on vehicles in Southwest Florida, as inhabitants of Florida’s Gulf Coast brace for Tropical Storm Idalia’s approach and potentially fatal effects.

Officials from the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (FDACS) were made aware of fuel contamination at gas stations that the Port of Tampa services over the weekend.

FDACS announced in a statement that it had discovered a possibly extensive gasoline contamination at the Port of Tampa brought about by human error.

Call the FDACS consumer hotline at 1-800-HELP-FLA to make a complaint if you believe you bought tainted gas.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said that the contamination was caused by human error during a press conference on Sunday, claiming that diesel was accidentally put in tanks that were meant to hold ordinary gas.

Idalia Prompts Closure of Gas Stations in Southwest Florida Due to Fuel Contamination

contaminated-gasoline-hits-southwest-florida-ahead-of-tropical-storm-idalia — State officials report that gas delivered from the Port of Tampa was tainted, potentially having an influence on vehicles in Southwest Florida, as inhabitants of Florida’s Gulf Coast brace for Tropical Storm Idalia’s approach and potentially fatal effects.

Wilton Simpson, the commissioner of agriculture for Florida, claimed that since diesel is heavier than gasoline, the contamination problem was found during a weight check by the state Department of Transportation.

According to Simpson, gas stations on the delivery manifest were informed of any probable contamination within an hour.

Three of the 29 gas stations that the fuel was provided to have been inspected by Florida Department of Agriculture personnel. Two were found to be contaminated.

DeSantis urged Floridians to start preparing for Idalia and making evacuation preparations as soon as possible.

Idalia is expected to quickly intensify into a hurricane before making landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast.

With the approaching storm of Idalia, which is predicted to make landfall along the Gulf Coast on Wednesday, more than half of Florida’s counties are currently in a state of emergency.

The National Hurricane Center has started issuing Hurricane and Tropical Storm Watches and Warnings as well as Storm Surge Watches.

Source: New York Post