{"id":10952,"date":"2021-05-11T19:58:55","date_gmt":"2021-05-11T23:58:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=10952"},"modified":"2021-05-11T20:03:43","modified_gmt":"2021-05-12T00:03:43","slug":"gov-desantis-declares-state-of-emergency-over-gasoline-supply","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2021\/05\/11\/gov-desantis-declares-state-of-emergency-over-gasoline-supply\/","title":{"rendered":"Gov. DeSantis declares state of emergency over gasoline supply"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday evening declared a gasoline-related state of emergency, including activating the Florida National Guard “as needed.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The move comes after the operator of a major pipeline that transports fuel across the East Coast was victimized by a ransomware attack and halted operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The governor, in an executive order, said “the disruption of Colonial Pipeline operations poses a significant and immediate threat to the continued delivery of such fuel products to the State of Florida.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Florida\u2019s gasoline supplies are largely unaffected by the outage, but a rash of panic buying starting Monday \u2014 especially across north Florida \u2014 has caused local shortages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That came at the same time that Pensacola area gas stations are experiencing a critical shortage caused by a cluster of issues, including an Environmental Protection Agency shutdown of a distribution site in the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DeSantis, at a bill signing in Jacksonville for a new school choice law earlier in the day, said the state would “relax restrictions” to allow trucks to more speedily refuel affected parts of the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I think this is something that demands serious federal attention,” he said. “You can’t just say it’s a private pipeline … The U.S. government needs to be involved. We need the federal government to step up and help.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The executive order is in effect for 30 days. Among other provisions, it:<\/p>\n\n\n

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Directs “all state, regional and local governmental agencies, including law enforcement agencies, to identify personnel needed … to assist in meeting the response, recovery, and mitigation needs created by this emergency.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n