ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida state officials announced Citgo has paid customers affected by the fuel contamination incident in late August just less than a half-million dollars. The widespread incident happened days before Hurricane Idalia made landfall.
Human error was to blame on Sunday, Aug. 27, at the Port of Tampa involving diesel fuel being added to the gas supply, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Anyone who filled their tank after 10 a.m. on Aug. 26, at a gas station supplied by Citgo — BJs, 7-Eleven and some smaller, unbranded stations — may have been affected.
The state says, citing Citgo, that 1,550 consumers came forward with potential claims in the days since. About 950 claims have been paid out $447,000 for car repairs and/or reimbursements.
"The adjusters for Citgo’s claims management provider will continue to connect with the remaining consumers, as well as for any new claims received," state officials said in a statement.
Gas stations that may have been affected by the bad fuel are now allowed to reopen and resume full fuel sales operations. Citgo has said it will reimburse wholesale customers who were forced to pay for pumping out their contaminated tanks — three have been paid out so far, it added.
About 17 gas stations from Daytona Beach to Tampa and Fort Myers were placed under a stop-sale order as testing for contaminated fuel was underway. Several others were allowed to resume sale or it was realized they did not receive the bad fuel in the first place.
People who may have purchased fuel from an affected location can continue to initiate a claim through the Citgo Good Gas Guarantee program. A complaint can also be filed with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services by calling 1-800-HELP-FLA or online at www.fdacs.gov.