Gas Prices Shouldn't Go Up After New Year

TAMPA - In spite of a forecast that suggested gas prices would remain stable, costs at the pump went up by more than five cents per gallon last week in Florida.

Last Thursday's report from the Energy Information Administration indicated crude oil inventories declined significantly. That, along with the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan, caused oil prices to jump several dollars, according to a media statement released by AAA Auto Club South.

AAA is saying further increases are unlikely during the next seven days, mainly because of a slowing economy in 2008 and a warmer-than-normal winter in the Northeast.

The average cost of regular gas in Florida is $3.09 per gallon. The national average is just below $3.04.