No sooner had several oil companies finished retrofitting their large gas storage facilities to hold only ethanol-blended fuel -- in anticipation of the state's new energy bill, which cleared the state Legislature on Wednesday -- Florida's gas stations pushed an amendment onto a pest-control bill Thursday requiring them to provide at least some regular fuel to customers.
The amendment on HB 197 cleared the Senate Thursday morning and heads back to the House for ratification.
If the measure passes, companies that have already made the shift could incur major inconvenience and expense.
If it doesn't pass, owners of generators, jet skis, all-terrain vehicles, classic cars and boats could have trouble finding regular gas. The engines in some of those equipment or vehicles cannot run on ethanol-blended fuel.
Jim Smith, president of the Florida Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association, which represents more than 5,000 gas stations, said his organization was left with no choice after the energy bill passed the Senate on Wednesday with no ''comfort language'' guaranteeing that at least some unblended gasoline would be available.
''In the Orlando area, my members that need conventional gas for marinas have to go to Jacksonville, Tampa or Fort Lauderdale to get that fuel. That adds a tremendous cost for transportation, which the consumer is ultimately going to pay,'' Smith said.
Kinder Morgan, a Houston-based energy company that runs the only terminal in the Orlando area, said it would begin selling ethanol-blended gas exclusively by Friday.
David Mica, a lobbyist with the Florida Petroleum Council, said the amendment was potentially ``catastrophic.''
''It really screws up the marketplace for gasoline,'' Mica said, ``If you run out of the [unblended] fuel, you would be in violation of the law.''
South Florida gas stations are to be completely transitioned to ethanol-blended fuel by early August. ExxonMobil said most of its stations will start selling only E10 fuels by the end of next week. So will BP. Hess stations changed over several months ago. Shell began in March. Chevron makes the switch July 1.
An energy bill that won final approval from the Senate on Wednesday calls for all gas sold in Florida by the end of 2010 to contain at least 10 percent ethanol. Gov. Charlie Crist will likely sign the bill into law.
