Isaias Soto
•9/10/2026
Gas prices in Lee County have risen to $4.19 per gallon, about 40 cents more than the previous day, while diesel prices have reached a record high of $5.83 per gallon, nearly $2 more than a year ago. "It made me upset because I like to fill my gas tank up. I'm not one of those $5, $10 type of people. So just by putting $25, it's going to hurt me to my soul," said Lee County resident Jatavia Lee. Lee added, "I'm not going out anywhere. I'm actually like, literally, I'm telling my kids, get up for school. I can't take you out of school because I don't have no gas." Other residents expressed similar frustrations. "It sucks. The price increase sucks," said Olivia Kiszka. "I genuinely hate it. It's like we can't really do what we want to do anymore," said Mikayla Jacob. Economist Alex Jacquez said the price increases are unpredictable due to the war in Iran and warned that grocery and other prices will soon be affected. "We're going to see some higher prices in order to bring the market back into equilibrium. And so we've seen the oil price shoot up over the last few days of climbing to highs that we haven't seen since the fighting began," Jacquez said. Diesel prices have been particularly impacted, with exports disrupted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and strikes in Russia. "There is the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in which that oil that then is refined into diesel and diesel exports are currently being shut off from. And Russia, which is a large exporter of diesel, has shut down several of its facilities due to strikes by Ukraine," Jacquez said. Some residents are finding ways to manage the rising costs. "I usually just have to put money aside. I don't make as much money as you know he does, but I just have to put a little with some aside just so I can afford it for a week. It's kind of troublesome," said Julian Leyva. "It worries us a little bit. So especially for groceries, I have six siblings, so, and I also have a dog. So we're all just trying to help each other out," Kiszka said. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.
