Walton County Not Affected by Colonial Pipeline Shutdown; Urges Against Panic Buying of Fuel
During the meeting of the Walton County Board of County Commissioners held on Tuesday, May 11th, Emergency Management Director Jeff Goldberg briefed the BCC on the current state of fuel supply in Walton County and expectations for the future.
According to Goldberg, the issues currently affecting the Colonial Pipeline shutdown do not directly affect Walton County, the panhandle or State of Florida. This is based on information received from the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
The State of Florida, including Walton County, does not receive its fuel from the pipeline, but rather, receives its fuel from ports located across the state. The main supply for fuel in Walton County comes from the Port of Jacksonville and some fuel is obtained at the Murphy Oil Terminal in Freeport.
At this time, any shortages occurring in Walton County are not due to the lack of fuel supply but are linked to a run on fuel by the public. At this time, the County urges residents, and visitors, to refrain from panic buying additional fuel and hording and storing the fuel in such items as gas cans or tanks, as not only does this affect local stations, but the unsafe storage of large amounts of fuel can create a safety hazard. "Please refrain from panic buying" states Walton County Emergency Management Director Jeff Goldberg "our fuel supply is intact and we are closely monitoring the situation with state and local agencies".
Due to the national shortage and the shortage affecting the region around Walton County, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued Region Emergency Declaration No. 2021-002. This declaration provides for regulatory relief for commercial motor vehicle operations while providing direct assistance supporting emergency relief efforts transporting gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and other refined petroleum products and grants relief from certain parts of sections 390 through 399 of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations, to allow for increased deliver of fuel.
In addition, Governor DeSantis signed Executive Order Number 21-105 declaring a State of Emergency that, among other things, prevents "unconscionable price within the area that the state of emergency is declared" (statewide). The Florida Attorney General has activated the Price Gouging Hotline. Suspected price gouging can be reported by calling 1-866-966-7226.