TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) \u2014 For some small business owners in Tallahassee, every job starts with a cost they can’t control: diesel. And with local diesel prices now above $6 a gallon, at least one business owner says he sometimes has to absorb the extra cost just to keep customers.<\/p>\n
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:<\/p>\n
Rising diesel prices squeeze Tallahassee small businesses and county services<\/p>\n
Kurtis Miller owns Gorilla Land Preservation, a local excavation company. Diesel powers the equipment his crews use on every job \u2014 and lately, filling those machines has become a lot more expensive.<\/p>\n
Miller says what once cost him about $75 to $85 can now run $150 to $160.<\/p>\n
“It’s been a major impact because in the process, you know, in the moments of fuel going up, it’s hard to get the customers to understand that. A lot of times we have to eat the cost of that, you know, the fuel costs and stuff like that in the process of doing these jobs,” Miller said.<\/p>\n
AAA puts the average price of diesel in Tallahassee<\/a> at about $6.16 a gallon. A year ago, it was about $3.59. That’s an increase of more than 70-percent.<\/p>\n Miller isn’t the only one feeling that squeeze. Leon County’s June budget workshop shows fuel costs for public works and EMS increased 75-percent collectively from April 2025 to April 2026 \u2014 fuel used to keep road crews moving and emergency vehicles responding.<\/p>\n Miller says he can’t control what diesel costs, and passing that extra expense on to his customers isn’t always an option.<\/p>\n “Sometimes you don’t get a response. Sometimes you just don’t even say it. You just eat the cost and keep going,” Miller said.<\/p>\n Diesel prices can change daily. ABC 27 will continue tracking what those higher costs mean for local businesses and the taxpayer-funded services that also depend on fuel.<\/p>\n This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.<\/p>\n Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website. <\/a><\/p>\n Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.<\/p>\n Like us on Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us on Instagram <\/a>and X.<\/a><\/p>\n