According to GasBuddy<\/a>, the average gas price in Jacksonville is over 94 cents higher than last year\u2019s average.<\/p>\n Rising gas prices are affecting students at UNF, forcing some to reduce campus involvement, work more hours and limit everyday travel as commuting costs increase.<\/p>\n Emma Ramsay, a UNF student and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People board member, said rising gas prices have forced her to attend fewer NAACP events.<\/p>\n Although she lives on campus, Ramsay commutes daily to work and other obligations. She now works or attends classes every day to offset higher gas costs.<\/p>\n \u201cI even don\u2019t find it feasible to drive to the grocery store sometimes,\u201d said Ramsay. \u201cIt\u2019s easier to just walk to campus and go to Lend-A-Wing.\u201d<\/p>\n Lend-A-Wing is an on-campus food pantry open to students. The service helps provide meals to students who struggle to afford them and has seen an increase in usage since Fall 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to Lend-A-Wing Director Anjali O\u2019Toole-Gupta, there is no definitive link between the recent increase in food pantry usage and the spike in gas prices.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have seen a steady rise in student usage overall, but this trend began when Lend-A-Wing relocated from Hicks Hall to the Student Union, which made the resource more visible and accessible to students,\u201d said O\u2019Toole-Gupta.<\/p>\n Lend-A-Wing moved to the Student Union in Feb. 2021.<\/p>\n Another UNF student, CJ Reed, has also had to manage their gas budget by driving less.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m dependent on my parents\u2019 money to pay for gas and even so\u2026I do feel like I notice it more,\u201d said Reed. \u201cI\u2019m still the one who goes out and fills up the gas in my car, so I\u2019m the one who sees the ultimate price of filling up the tank fully, and I think it\u2019s somewhere around like $70 now.\u201d<\/p>\n Christopher Fuller, a student who commutes to UNF from the opposite side of the St. Johns River, said he had to spend less time with his family due to the cost of gas. <\/p>\n \u201cUsually I go to my cousin\u2019s, and I haven\u2019t been able to because it\u2019s kind of expensive,\u201d said Fuller. \u201cLast semester, I was able to always just head to my cousin\u2019s house after school, but now I just have to go straight home.\u201d<\/p>\n Both the National and Florida governments are working to ease the burden of gas prices on consumers.<\/p>\n While President Donald Trump has said that the war is nearing an end, he has given no exact date to expect a conclusion. Trump had initially threatened Iran with harsher military action<\/a> if the Strait of Hormuz was not opened by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, but the U.S. and Iran have since entered a ceasefire and begun negotiations<\/a>.<\/p>\n The U.S. government is taking steps to give Americans \u201crelief at the pump,\u201d according to the Environmental Protection Agency.\u00a0<\/p>\n EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin issued a temporary emergency fuel waiver to allow the sale of E15, a fuel blend of 85% gasoline and 15% ethanol, nationwide, beginning on May 1, 2026, according to an EPA press release.\u00a0<\/p>\n E15 has a slightly higher ethanol content than regular E10 fuel, which contains 90% gasoline and 10% ethanol. According to the Renewable Fuel Association<\/a>, this mixture is approved for certain vehicles manufactured in the year 2001 and after.<\/p>\n However, the sale of E15 is generally restricted during the summer driving season, June 1 through Sep. 15, as it \u201cdoes not meet gasoline Reid vapor pressure requirements,\u201d which is a measure of fuel volatility, according to Congress\u2019s website<\/a><\/p>\n Higher volatility can contribute to smog at higher temperatures, though the Clean Air Act<\/a> does allow for the temporary removal of E15 restrictions in emergencies.<\/p>\n![\"Line](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gas-Prices-Graph-1-600x338.png\")
This graph was made using data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
\nImpact on students<\/p>\n![\"Row](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/00001504-e1775853333675-1200x554.jpg\")
Gas prices in Florida have increased by over $1.20 since Dec (Photo by Rachel Bacchus).
\nFederal and state officials respond to rising gas prices<\/p>\n