Zoe Warner
•9/10/2026
CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK)—Gas prices are rising again, with the national average reaching $4.22 per gallon for regular unleaded.
Local businesses that rely on daily fuel consumption say the increase is hitting them hard. However, they're absorbing the costs rather than passing them on to customers.
Ryan Ishley, director at Joshua Tree Inc., a landscaping company, said his crews fuel up their trucks daily.
"All of our crews will fill up the trucks prior the day beforehand," Ishley said.
Renee Tatar, owner of mobile grooming salon Zooming Grooming, has expanded her fleet over the past three years.
"We started about three years ago with one van, and we just ordered our third," Tatar said.
With gas prices nearing $4.30 in the area, Tatar said the impact is unavoidable.
"It's stressful. Everybody's feeling it. We're feeling it both professionally and personally," Tatar said.
AAA reports diesel fuel is nearing $6 per gallon. Joshua Tree has implemented strategies to reduce fuel costs while protecting customers from price increases.
"We get our fuel delivered to our yard. So we do have a housing yard for our trucks for all of our equipment. What this does is it essentially saves us and it saves the consumer as well. So instead of having each one of our trucks go to the gas station fill up, that time is saved by having it right there at the yard," Ishley said.
Tatar's approach focuses on cutting costs in other areas of her business.
"Whether it's shopping around for better pricing for our products without losing the quality that we want to continue to provide, gas savings accounts—we literally have created a gas savings account with every gas station that we can think of, and so that's just really important to us to save in other ways and not to pass that cost to our customers," Tatar said.
Both business owners said maintaining a positive outlook helps them navigate fluctuating fuel prices.
"We can't control the situation, but we can do best with what we've got. So having faith in God and just trusting in Him and continuing to do what you do, move forward," Tatar said.
