There are no concerns of fuel shortages at SunStop convenience stores.
Even with the influx of extra traffic in Columbia County and the rest of North Florida caused by evacuations ahead of Hurricane Milton, a Category 5 storm expected to make landfall around the Tampa area late Wednesday or early Thursday, SunStop stores are ready to fuel up those vehicles and their weary drivers and passengers.
Brandon Beil, SunStop stores field marketing merchandiser for the east region, said there has been no concern expressed about a fuel shortage at any of their 40 stores in the Suwannee Valley.
“We’ve got trucks running,” Beil said Tuesday morning about Southwest Georgia Oil’s Total Petroleum division, which has terminals in Bainbridge, Georgia, and Jacksonville in addition to Tampa.
“There hasn’t been any talk about any major concerns with not being able to get it.”
Beil added that in previous years when there were evacuations from South Florida in advance of storms, the State of Florida helped make sure there was fuel to service those people, diverting trucks to make sure stations along the interstates had gas and, at times, getting escorts from the Florida Highway Patrol.
Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue said Tuesday fuel continues to flow.
“Since Saturday, Port Tampa Bay has received six shipments of fuel,” Perdue said, according to the News Service of Florida. “So, the terminals are fully operating on the land side and fuel is continuing to be distributed.”
But the demand for fuel has resulted in gas stations running out quicker than normal.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said additional fuel is enroute to Florida, according to the News Service of Florida.
“There is no fuel shortage. Fuel continues to arrive in the state of Florida by port and what we're doing to bring it in on the ground,” DeSantis said.
To speed delivery, DeSantis said 27 fuel trucks were escorted Monday night by the Florida Highway Patrol to deliver fuel to stations, much like Beil said had occurred previously.
SunStop personnel are helping make sure that happens too, Beil said.
On Tuesday morning, he helped direct traffic at the SunStop location on the north side of the Interstate 75 and State Road 47 interchange in order to help get a fuel truck back out of the parking lot so he could go get more fuel.
“There’s been a big uptick of travelers already,” Beil said. “They were like, ‘Can you please go stop some traffic and ask people to move their cars so we can get out and go get more fuel?’
“We’re making it a priority.”
In addition to plenty of fuel, Beil said the SunStop stores are also stocked up with drinks, food and snacks for evacuees. With the expected extra traffic, Beil said there are extra microwaves set up at stores as well as additional sandwiches and pastries.
“The store manager is threatening to harm me,” he said with a laugh about doubling the order for the Ellisville location. “We’ve got plenty here. We’re waiting on them.”
News Service of Florida contributed to this report.