There’s good news and bad news regarding gas prices as drivers begin the new year.
Florida’s state fuel taxes increased slightly on Jan. 1 as part of the regular annual adjustment required by state law.
On the good side, it accounts for less than a penny per gallon. The state motor fuel tax rose from 21.5to 22 cents per gallon, and the State Comprehensive Enhanced Transportation System (SCETS) tax, paid almost exclusively by wholesalers, increased slightly from 9.7 to 9.9 cents per gallon.
And, gas prices were their lowest on Jan. 1 than they’ve been since the first day of 2021—the first New Year’s Day after COVID-19 shut many places down and sent the price of gas plummeting.
This change is are part of a statutory inflation-based adjustment—not a new tax. The increase is relatively small (fractions of a cent), so it likely won’t be a major jump in pump prices by itself.
Osceola County already levies a local 5 cent per gallon fuel tax on gasoline, which adds onto the state rate. Local option fuel taxes in Florida aren’t automatically increased each January or affected by state action.
The news is better if you are a pilot who flies out of, say, Kissimmee Gateway Airport. Per the Florida Department of Revenue, beginning Jan. 1, 2026, the state aviation fuel tax is repealed.
