Orlando wants to prevent gas price gouging

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer has outlined a newly-proposed city ordinance aimed at preventing gas stations near Orlando International Airport from charging exorbitant prices for gas, without displaying the price of the fuel on signs posted in front of the businesses.

Over the last two years, Mayor Dyer's office, along with the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitor's Bureau and the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority , say they have received hundreds of complaints from drivers who describe a scenario in which they have pulled into a gas station that lacks visible signs and discovered the price at the pump to be dramatically higher than the going rate for the area. In many of those cases, the drivers were visitors returning rental cars to Orlando International Airport.

"While it might not technically be a crime, I think just about any reasonable person would agree that what's going on here is just not right," said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.  "It's obvious they're being tricked into stopping in by not knowing what the price is."

The proposed ordinance is a first of its kind in Florida. It would require all gas stations within a perimeter surrounding Orlando International Airport to display the price of the gasoline they are selling using roadside signage that falls within a general industry standard. Gas stations that fail to do this would be subject to fines of $500 per day.

FOX 35 on Tuesday spoke with drivers at the SunCoast Energy gas station on Semoran Blvd. about the proposed ordinance.

"I'm like holy crap! I only put two gallons in and it was ten dollars, that was ridiculous," said tourist Zack Bennett.

Bennett was topping off his tank before returning his rental car and now he is in shock because he had no idea that SunCoast was charging almost $5 dollars a gallon for regular unleaded gasoline.

"I actually thought, 'Is this ethanol? Am I buying some weird new fuel?'" he said.

However, not everyone is sold on the mayor's proposal. Some told us that regardless of whether there is a prices posted out front, the real issue is at the pump itself.

"So you put a sign up so you can read it. Big deal!" said tourist Bob Dane. "That might keep some people from coming, but where do I go from here to find one that isn't jacked up."

"It would have cost less to have Hertz refuel at at $4.59 a gallon than at $4.89 a gallon here," said Bob's wife Julia Dane.

A representative of Suncoast Energy said the company would not comment until the proposed ordinance is approved.

The ordinance will go before the Orlando City Council for its first reading on Monday, May 24, 2010.

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FOX 35's Tiffany Tift contributed to this report.