How Much Will Floridians Save With the Gas Tax Holiday? Not Much, It Turns Out.

State Democratic lawmakers called for “immediate fuel price relief” as early as June. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ camp pitched for October, one month before the elections.

The prohibitively high price of gas has many Floridians, especially those who commute to work or school, worried about the strain on their budget, which for most is already stretched thin by inflation.

So naturally, many are wondering how much they will really save during the one-month gas tax holiday that goes into effect Oct. 1.

A Call for Immediate Relief Went Unheard

Florida Democratic lawmakers, like Sen. Linda Stewart of Orlando, called for a moratorium on the Florida gas tax early in June, citing the urgent need for “immediate fuel price relief.”

However, the Tampa Bay Times reported that emails showed that one of Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ aides pitched the October date, with some suggesting that the governor’s timing is meant to improve the Republicans’ standing ahead of the November midterm elections.

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‘It Won’t Be a Windfall’

So, let’s cut to the chase: How much will consumers in the Sunshine State actually save at the pump?

“It won’t be a windfall,” Ted Kury, director of energy studies at the University of Florida, told the Orlando Sentinel.

According to this expert, the average consumer could see savings of about $3.80 when they fill up a 15-gallon tank, since gas tax is a small portion of what consumers pay for fuel.

The Source of the Relief

The gas tax break follows a series of sales-tax “holidays” on such things as school clothes and hurricane supplies. This is part of a tax package (HB7071) that was passed by the Legislature in March.

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The relief package was made possible by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan (ARP), which provided Florida with more than $10 billion in federal funds. DeSantis has been called out for loudly criticizing and voting against the ARP, even as he hands out millions of dollars of that same money to mostly Republican rural Florida counties, never mentioning the source of the funds.

“Working Floridians would not be able to access these benefits without the hard work of President Biden and Democrats who wrote and passed this historic legislation into law,” said Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democratic candidate for governor.