CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Panic at the gas pumps between August 26-27, 2023 had some drivers in Southwest Florida still dealing with engine issues nearly two weeks later.
On August 27, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) said contaminated gasoline had been sent to about 30 gas stations in Florida from the Port of Tampa — including several stations in Southwest Florida.
Since the gas mix-up, The FDACS told Fox 4 they had received 798 complaints through their hotlinerelated to the fuel contamination.
On Friday, auto shop owners like Bill Abouatallah at Cape Coral, Foreign Cars told Fox 4 his shop had already seen drivers impacted by the fuel.
“We had one in the other shop, we had to drain his tank and blow the lines out,” said Abouatallah.
The widespread contamination was caused by human error, according to the FDACS. The state said any fuel purchased from 10 a.m. on Saturday, August 26 through Sunday, August 27, at impacted stations had a strong likelihood of being contaminated with diesel fuel.
Six stations did not receive the contaminated fuel shipment:
- Dan's Car Wash: 39522 US Highway 19 N., Tarpon Springs
- 7-Eleven: 3437 US Highway 19, Holiday
- 7-Eleven: 13411 Fish Hawk Boulevard, Lithia
- Quick & Easy Stop: 4529 Bee Ridge Rd., Sarasota
- Palmers Easy Stop: 903 Cattleman Rd., Sarasota
- 2K Express 5: 6202 N 40th St., Tampa
Eight stations have been inspected, remediated and cleared by FDACS for fuel sales:
- 7-Eleven: 720 Chiquita Boulevard, North Cape Coral
- 7-Eleven: 2604 Skyline Boulevard, Cape Coral
- 7-Eleven: 601 Pine Island Rd. S.W., Cape Coral
- 7-Eleven: 6050 Dean Dairy Road, Zephyrhills
- 7-Eleven: 714 Burnt Store Road, Cape Coral
- Handy Foods Store #87: 3205 Lee Blvd., Lehigh Acres
- Faulkenburg CITGO: 5320 Faulkenburg Road, Tampa
- PJI LLC: 7977 W Dunnellon Road, Dunnellon (Regular and premium fuel was not contaminated, only diesel fuel)
17 stations remain under a stop-sale order pending laboratory confirmation:
- 7-Eleven: 4325 Lee Boulevard, Lehigh Acres
- 7-Eleven: 12750 South Cleveland Avenue, Fort Myers
- 7-Eleven: 290 Lakeland Park Road, Lakeland
- 7-Eleven: 940 S Broad St., Brooksville
- 7-Eleven: 1626 Meadow Road, Lehigh Acres
- 7-Eleven: 2401 James Redman Parkway, Plant City
- BJ's Wholesale: 1929 Pine Island Road N.E., Cape Coral
- BJ's Wholesale: 9372 Ben C Pratt Six Mile Cypress Pkwy., Fort Myers
- BJ's Wholesale: 13585 NE 86th Path, Lady Lakes
- Handy Foods Store #86: 21321 Palm Beach Blvd., Alva
- Superday CITGO: 1595 South McCall Road, Port Charlotte
- Bolton One LLC: 15434 US Highway 19, Hudson
- JHW #310 - DBA Avenue CITGO: 11867 N. Williams St., Dunellon
- AL Prime - Daytona Beach: 1898 S. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach
- Choice Food & Gas: 310 N Central Ave., Umatilla
- Perfection Station 5: 9931 N Florida Ave., Tampa
- Rogers Petroleum: 134 N Desoto Ave., Arcadia
Abouatallah said if you fill up an empty tank with contaminated fuel, drivers will know right away.
“There is a good chance the car won't even start, cause diesel fuel starts differently,” he said.
Abouatallah went on to say if your car still had some fuel left in the gas tank, drivers should not push the car to continue running.
“You might get a misfire or a shake no power and if you keep forcing it you could cause internal engine damage,” said Abouatallah.
Drivers can file a complaint with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services by calling 1-800-HELP-FLA or online at www.fdacs.gov.
Drivers can also initiate a claim through the Citgo Good Gas Guarantee program https://www.citgo.com/contact-us.
