As Idalia nears: Some Citgo gas was contaminated, here's how to tell

Jun 18, 2023

If you bought gas along Florida's Gulf Coast over the weekend, you may have gotten diesel fuel in your gas tank by mistake.

Florida officials warned Sunday that any fuel purchased after 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 26 at stations supplied by Citgo from the Port of Tampa has a strong likelihood of being contaminated with diesel fuel. And that's really not good for your car. Not the best thing to have happen when there is a potentially major hurricane heading your direction in the next couple of days.

Here's what you need to know.

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The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said it identified a potentially widespread fuel contamination caused by human error at the Port of Tampa.

The FDACS said that the Port of Tampa serves gas stations in the greater Tampa region north to Chiefland, and on the west side of Florida south to Naples. The agency said Citgo had released the following list of stations affected:

Citgo self-reports this list and may update it, FDACS officials said. DACS will also update this list as necessary as of result of increased fuel testing in the impacted areas. Impacted gas stations have been asked to stop selling gas until the contaminated fuel is replaced and the tanks have been cleaned.

You can follow @FDACS on X, formerly known as Twitter, for updates on the stop sales.

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Diesel fuel is much denser than regular gasoline with a lower octane and lower flashpoint, meaning it supplies more power but ignites at lower temperatures, according to Bell Performance in Longwood. If you get diesel fuel in your gasoline any or all of the following can happen:

It may not start at all, or it may smoke. According to FuelDoctor, your vehicle may start jumping, your vehicle may start smoking heavily, or you may hear misfires.

Stop the vehicle immediately. Don't try to drive it. Get it towed to a mechanic to have the tank and fuel system drained and flushed.

FDACS issued the following statement from Citgo:

"Please be advised that CITGO is working with the locations to remove contaminated product from these locations. In the meantime, thank you for patience and understanding as we work to return these locations to normal operations. If, however, you have purchased fuel from one of these locations on or after Aug. 26, and are concerned your vehicle may be impacted, you can initiate a claim through the CITGO Good Gas Guarantee program https://www.citgo.com/contact-us."

You also can file a complaint with the FDACS consumer hotline at 1-800-HELP-FLA or online at www.fdacs.gov.