Florida
DeSantis: Florida sets up fuel sites in Plant City, Bradenton and St. Pete. More to come
PLANT CITY — Three fuel distribution sites have been set up by the state in the wake of Hurricane Milton in an effort to alleviate problems getting fuel, as many gas stations are still without power or simply out of fuel.
And Gov. Ron DeSantis promised that more will be opened as needed.
DeSantis spoke of the fuel program during a 30-minute news conference at Plant City Stadium, one of the three distribution sites currently open. One is also open in Bradenton and another in St. Petersburg.
“We’re in the process of doing more,” DeSantis said. “We’re going to do another one closer to the heart of Tampa in Hillsborough County. We’re going to do another one in a different part of Pinellas County and we’re going to do at least one in Sarasota County and perhaps some more depending on the demand that we have.”
DeSantis said the loss of power is one of the major issues.
“When you have power out at gas stations, you can’t pump fuel,” he said. “When you have ports that are interrupted, they don’t get the shipments in as much. So we have a lot of fuel that we brought into Florida to be able to help and get people through it as we get back, and the private sector resolves the issue. So we stockpiled a lot of fuel. We’ve activated a lot of our fuel contracts and we want to be able to give people an option.
“I see a lot of people waiting in line at the gas stations that do have power, and these are really long lines,” he said. “And when the port of Tampa is open, you’re going to see the fuel flowing. But in the meantime, we want to give people another option.”
Joe Graham and his wife, Lecinda, of Plant City were among the people taking advantage of the option. They waited in line all morning to get their 10 gallons as cars were lined up more than a mile from the stadium. At least one car ran out of gas inside the stadium before it could reach the pump.
Joe Graham runs a group home in Tampa, and getting fuel is just part of his efforts.
“We have no water, we have not lights,” he said. “It’s really hard trying to get staff to come in. A lot of them are flooded out. We‘re doing this on a daily basis, so always trying to find out what the next deal is going to be. Right now, we’re trying to get this little gas because there’s no gas in the gas station.”
Initially, 250,000 gallons of gasoline and 250,000 gallons of diesel was on site, but more fuel will arrive as needed, according to Bill Smith of World Kinect Services. The Miami-based corporation is contracted with the Florida Division of Emergency Management to provide fuel. He said the site is expected to be open for days between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
The fuel is free, but each person is limited to 10 gallons.
“These public fuel sites, although we have done fuel support in the past, we’ve never done it to this scale, and that is on top of the amount of fuel that we provided directly to service stations,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis said the state put 400,000 gallons of diesel into the supply chain and 500,000 gallons of gasoline. He said there were 31 sites for emergency fuel distribution for first responders, health care workers and other critical personal.
The state, DeSantis said, still has 1.8 million gallons of diesel and more a million gallons of gasoline that will be used at the fuel depots until the fuel situation is resolved.
“We have Florida ports that are actively receiving shipments like Port Tampa Bay,” DeSantis said. “Additional vessels are en route, they are filling up the trucks and we’re bringing them to where they need to be.”
One terminal filled 531 trucks Friday, and the Florida Highway Patrol is escorting the tankers from the ports to the respective service stations.
“If you see a gas station is out, most of that is, they don’t have power,” DeSantis said. “Now, they may also need to get their fuel shipment as well. But if they don’t have power to be able to run the pumps, then it’s an academic issue.”
DeSantis said generators can be deployed to gas stations if they’re going to be without power for an extended period.
Hurricane Milton’s hit: How will it affect our insurance premiums in Florida?
“A lot of these gas stations, quite frankly, are supposed to have generators,” he said. “Very few of them have used them that I’ve seen, especially in the areas that were the hardest hit.”
DeSantis said he is optimistic that the stations that do not have power will be “getting power in relatively short order in the coming days.” Until then, DeSantis said the state sites will help fill the void.
“You’re going to have more of these state-run sites that are going to be available,” he said. “We understand particularly to get people through the weekend. We want to be able to do, use the fuel reserves that we provided and get those into people’s tanks.”
Kevin Guthrie, the executive director for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said more fuel has been coming into the state. As of noon Saturday, four different ports were offloading 37.3 million gallons of fuel that will be pumped into the distribution lines and immediately be available.
(This story was changed to include more photos.)
TAMPA, Fla – New SNAP restrictions will start Monday in Florida.
What we know:
These changes will ban the purchase of many sugary sodas, energy drinks, candy and ultra-processed, shelf-stable prepared desserts.
Hunger Free America, an advocacy group, is against these restrictions.
Joel Berg, the CEO, said some regulation is a good thing, but he wants to see it support access to healthy foods as a choice.
“We do support mandates to mandate that healthier food is available in stores that do accept SNAP,” Berg said. “So, it makes a lot more sense to make it easier to get healthier food.”
Berg said these restrictions are unnecessary in achieving a healthier America.
“We should make America healthier again by making healthy food more affordable, convenient and physically available,” Berg said. “We shouldn’t micromanage the eating patterns of adults to try to achieve that goal.”
The other side:
This is part of the Make America Healthy Again initiative.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said, “Under the MAHA initiative, we are taking bold, historic steps to reverse the chronic disease epidemic that has taken root in this country for far too long.”
What they’re saying:
Berg said that these changes, on top of cuts to the program nationwide, will increase hunger.
“It’s not that low-income Americans don’t want healthier food; it’s that they can’t afford healthier food,” Berg said.
This coincides with the announcement that there will be cuts to WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which supplies food to mothers and young children.
“President Trump’s budget just announced that he’s proposing taking away fruits and vegetables from the WIC program for pregnant women and children under five,” Berg said. “So, they’re taking away healthier food.”
The WIC cuts would take away $1.4 billion in fruit and vegetable benefits from 5.4 million people.
Big picture view:
The SNAP changes come as part of the MAHA movement and include more than 20 other states that will implement changes over the next two years.
The Source: Information in this story comes from WIC, SNAP and interviews done by Fox 13’s Danielle Zulkosky.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The engines are revving for one final day of high-stakes bidding and family fun at the South Florida Fairgrounds.
Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach auction reaches its grand finale today with an action-packed “Super Saturday” lineup, promising to close out the weekend with a full slate of collector car sales, live entertainment, and fan attractions.
“Super Saturday,” presented by Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, officially kicks off at 8 a.m. when gates, food courts, and the exhibitor marketplace open to the public.
What to expect
- 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: The Fantasy Bid presented by Dodge begins early, running in tandem with the automobilia auction in the arena.
- 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Thrill-seekers can catch Dodge thrill rides on the Barrett-Jackson Performance Track.
- 10:00 a.m.: New amenities open to the public, including the Stella Artois, Staging Lanes, and Food Court patios, which offer shaded seating and auction views.
- 10:45 a.m.: The national anthem will be performed in the auction arena, signaling the start of the main collector car auction at 11 a.m.
- Afternoon Entertainment: DJ sets run from noon to 5 p.m. across the various patios, and a detailing clinic by Adam’s Polishes is scheduled for 2 p.m. near the South Showcase.
For those unable to attend, the whole event will be livestreamed throughout the day on the Barrett-Jackson website and the HISTORY channel from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Today’s finale comes on the heels of a high-energy Friday that saw significant sales and notable celebrity interest.
Star power was evident throughout the day, particularly with vehicles tied to the Busch family. A 1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible owned by Samantha Busch and a 1969 Oldsmobile 442 Custom Coupe were among the day’s heavy hitters, each fetching $159,500. Kyle Busch’s 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Custom Coupe also drew a strong bid, selling for $143,000.
Other Friday highlights included:
- 1968 Ford Mustang Eleanor Replica: $137,500
- 2004 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Mamba Edition: $132,000
- 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer Custom SUV: $126,500
- 1957 Ford Thunderbird Custom Convertible: $121,000
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
With a festival-style atmosphere and high-profile sales driving momentum, organizers expect a busy crowd for the final push at the auction block today.
-
Oregon6 minutes agoSmall Oregon town residents’ trust shaken as state sues disaster nonprofit founder
-
Pennsylvania12 minutes agoMother, 6 children die in Central Pennsylvania house explosion, state police say
-
Rhode Island18 minutes agoThe Real Housewives of Rhode Island Recap: Wrong Side of the Tracks
-
South-Carolina24 minutes agoSouth Carolina Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for April 19, 2026
-
South Dakota30 minutes agoFCS Football Recruiting Roundup: South Dakota, Montana State Target 2027 Defensive Standouts
-
Tennessee36 minutes agoNashville Sounds and Autism Tennessee partner to host inclusive Beyond the Label Day for local children
-
Texas42 minutes agoTexas A&M Forward Transfer Seemingly on Visit to See Lady Vols Basketball | Rocky Top Insider
-
Utah48 minutes agoGolden Knights vs. Mammoth Game 1 prediction: NHL odds, picks, best bets for Stanley Cup Playoffs