Morning briefs: Gas prices hold near $4 a gallon, money pours into special election

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Posted March 23, 2026 | By The News Service of Florida

An average gallon of gas in Florida continued to sit just under $4 per gallon over the weekend amid global market volatility due to conflicts in the Middle East. 

The auto club AAA put the average in Florida at $3.94 on Sunday, up 22 cents from the prior week. Averages across the state ranged from $3.64 in Okaloosa County to $4.20 in Monroe County.

The Sunday average is $1.04 more than on Feb. 28, when the U.S. and Israel began attacks targeting Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and senior leadership.

But the price has held around $3.94 since last Wednesday.

In a release, AAA noted the White House announcement of releasing 172 million barrels of oil from the nation’s strategic reserves over the next four months had “no immediate relief on the oil market.”

The release also highlighted that U.S. pump prices typically face a seasonal uptick in demand as motorists take advantage of warmer spring weather. However, AAA reported data from the Energy Information Administration showed a demand decrease the past week.

Nationally, the average gallon of gas was also at $3.94 on Sunday.

For electric vehicles, the cost per kilowatt hour at charging stations in Florida has held around 41 cents this past week. The price rounded to 39 cents on Feb. 28. Nationally, the average rounds to 42 cents. The average was 39 cents on Feb. 28.

Money surges in House District 87 special election

More than $1 million in cash and in-kind assistance has been spent on a state House special election contest in Palm Beach County for a seat Republicans are trying to retain.

With the election Tuesday, Democrat Emily Gregory of Jupiter picked up $213,928 through an array of mostly small contributions in the Feb. 13 to March 19 filing period for the House District 87 contest. The monthly haul countered the assistance provided to Republican Jon Maples.

Maples, a financial advisor, added $41,272 in cash contributions to his personal account during the filing period. He also received $204,795 during the filing period through in-kind campaign assistance from the Florida House Republican Campaign Committee and the Republican Party of Florida.

A former member of the Lake Clarke Shores Town Council, Maples has now raised $276,208 in his campaign account, which includes $14,000 he loaned to himself. Overall, he’s also received $397,840 through in-kind assistance, mostly from the two Republican groups.

The Friends of Jon Maples political committee supporting his run, though, listed $115,300 in contributions since the start of the year. A $20,000 ad campaign with Jupiter-based Public Concepts is listed among $39,342 in expenses since the start of the year.

Gregory, who describes herself as “a mother of three, military spouse and small business owner,” received more than 4,500 separate contributions during the filing period, most under $50. She also received $30,000 from the Florida House Democratic Campaign Committee, $3,000 from the Florida Democratic Party and $10,000 from the Florida Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. The Florida Democratic Party also provided nearly $4,000 through in-kind campaign assistance.

Overall, Gregory has raised $389,822 of which $315,369 had already been spent heading into the final weekend of the campaign.

The seat opened last year when Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed former Rep. Mike Caruso, R-Delray Beach, to serve as Palm Beach County clerk of the circuit court and comptroller.

Maples and Gregory both easily won their respective special primary for the seat on Jan. 13.

The district, which runs along the coast from Juno Beach south to Manalapan and includes the Palm Beach home of President Donald Trump, leans Republican: 48,277 voters are registered with the GOP compared to 32,444 Democrats and 30,782 voters with no party affiliation.