Anxiety about Hurricane Milton has been prompting gas lines in The Villages.
Officials always advise that filling your gas tank is a prudent thing to do if there is a threat of a hurricane. Villagers took that advice to heart and have been filling their tanks ahead of the hurricane’s expected arrival on Wednesday.
The pumps went dry at about 4:30 p.m. Monday at the Walmart at Sarasota Plaza in The Villages. It was not clear when those fuel tanks could be replenished as traffic has been very heavy coming out of the Tampa area.
The pumps also went dry at the Circle K at Trailwinds Village and Circle K at Pinellas Plaza.
Many Villagers were here in 2017 when gas lines and the lack of availability of fuel caused a near-panic in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown, as well as elsewhere in the state.
Many Floridians have begun evacuating from the Tampa area, where the hurricane is expected to hit. The evacuation traffic has been causing delays along the Interstate 75 corridor and other local roadways.
In an effort to speed up traffic, Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced Emergency Shoulder Use (ESU) plans are actively being put in place for portions of northbound I-75 and eastbound Interstate 4. In addition, tolls have been suspended in some parts of the state.
State officials and law enforcement encourage motorists to stay up to date with travel information on fl511.com