Tampa Bay Gas Prices May Drop Below $2 A Gallon

With falling gas prices, it is possible that the Tampa Bay area will see gas prices fall below the $2 a gallon mark, according to the Tampa Bay Times. In Thursday's Times, business columnist Robert Trigaux writes that this is a distinct possibility ("Are Tampa Bay gas prices heading back below $2 a gallon?").

In the past year, gas prices in the bay area have dropped "an average of 91 cents a gallon," with the average price close to $2.28 a gallon, a penny less than the previous day. Last month's average was $2.51 a gallon, Trigaux writes.

The price of crude oil down "by almost 60 percent" from its 2014 peak, according to the Wall Street Journal, with prices possibly remaining low for "months and maybe years to come."

To read more of the Tampa Bay Times' article, go to http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/are-gas-prices-heading-back-to-2-a-gallon-in-the-tampa-bay-area/2242212.

Earthquake Felt In Tampa Bay Area

A 5.1-magnatude earthquake struck just before 4 p.m. Thursday afternoon in the Straits of Florida between Cuba and Florida. The quake, which lasted about 30 seconds, caused highrise buildings in Havana to sway, startling workers, according to Tampa's WFLA.com. The city closest to the epicenter is Corralillo, 17 miles to the southwest; the quake was approximately 106 miles east of Havana.

According to the U.S. Geological Service, there were five reports from Tampa and seven reports from St. Petersburg of people reporting that they had felt tremors. The USGS site mentioned one report from as far away as Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.