Tampa Bay gas lines ease as more fuel shows up after Milton

LUTZ — With tankers returning through Port Tampa Bay after Hurricane Milton and more gas coming online at stations and state-run distribution sites, drivers across Tampa Bay felt some relief from fuel worries by filling up their tanks Sunday.

Lines were almost non-existent at the Shell station at the corner of Van Dyke Road and N Del Mabry Highway in Lutz. At Sam's Club, about 3 miles south, the wait started as early as 30 minutes, but had shrunk to about 15 minutes by midday.

A day earlier, workers said, wait times approached 3-1/2 hours as cars backed up at least a mile south of Del Mabry's inside lane.

Amy Martinez of Carrollwood counts herself lucky to encounter such a short line.

“This is the first time I'm trying to get gas,” he said as he drove up to Sam's.

In a press conference on Treasure Island, Gov. Ron DeSantis said that in addition to Port Tampa Bay, Seaport Mann also is bringing in fuel despite sustaining “significant losses.” DeSantis said the state has placed millions of gallons of diesel and motor vehicle gas at nine distribution sites in the region, where drivers can get 10 gallons of free gas.

“Even though they're bringing in a lot of fuel now, those sites will remain open,” he said.

MJ Randazzo, 22, came to Sam's at the suggestion of family and friends after striking out elsewhere. Randazzo's tank was running on fumes — Gage estimated he had 15 miles left — after being evacuated to Tallahassee and returned to his apartment near USF.

“I literally had no choice but to do it,” he said.

After filling up, Randazzo planned to go home to clean out all the items that had spoiled his fridge for four days without electricity. She thought a quick trip to Sam's might help with fresh food and some cleaning supplies – especially since her parents bought her a $50 membership when she went to the pump.

Alyssa Diaz of Carrollwood was thankful for gas after running out on nearly empty. He was thrilled to see nearby traffic lights acting as a signal that things were finally calming down.

“People were driving like crazy,” he said. “Without structure, people go crazy.”

The gas distribution system in the state did not run completely smoothly on Sunday.

At one site on First Ave. in St. Petersburg, block-long lines were temporarily cut so police could deal with traffic problems — that, frustrated drivers said, kept them waiting in line for hours. It reopened around 3:30pm and was expected to remain open until 7pm

After waiting in line for four hours, Amanda Smoot came to the front of the line with her AC off. He was worried that he would not be able to come forward if he turned on the air conditioner and questioned as the gas level dropped.

“I don't think the news really prepared people for how long the lines were,” he said.

Latonia Alexander waited more than four hours in a St. Petersburg line for free gas. He advised those visiting the distribution sites to bring food and water with them.

“This line is slow,” he said. “Really slow.”

— Times staff writer Jay Credlin contributed to this story.

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