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Iran War, rising fuel costs takes toll on Florida businesses, truckers

Clayton Park

Updated April 2, 2026, 2:09 p.m. ET

Chris Bowler, right, president of Daytona Beverages, stands next to his dad Kevin, chairman of the Daytona Beach family-owned beverage distributorship, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. In the past month because of the Iran War, the company's fuel costs have risen over 37%.

Chris Bowler, president of Daytona Beverages, stands in front of some of the Daytona Beach family-owned company's fleet of 38 diesel-fueled trucks on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. In the past month because of the Iran War, the company's fuel costs have risen over 37%.

Mark Ruggiero, center, LP gas manager at Cunningham Oil in Holly Hill, and drivers Lewis Showers, left, and Ron Washington, stand in front of two of the company's tanker delivery trucks on April 1, 2026. Florida diesel prices have risen $2.12 a gallon in the past month.

Julie Mialki, co-owner of Giuseppe's Steel City Pizza restaurant in Port Orange, serves a pizza to customers in 2019. Despite soaring fuel costs because of the Iran War that began Feb. 28, 2026, Mialki on April 2 said so far it hasn't affected her family's business.

Roy Gailey, left, CEO of Carter Electric in Daytona Beach, and company president Matt Wittwer, who oversees day-to-day operations for the commercial electrical contractor business. Gailey said rising fuel costs are definitely eating into his company's profits.

Skip Lilly is sales and marketing manager at Vision HR in Daytona Beach.

Guillermo Alvarez, a Miami Lakes-based independent trucker with Mercer Transportation, at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 26, 2026. Alvarez said rising fuel costs have made it much harder for him to make a profit. "It's crazy," he said.

Ted Patterson, pictured at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 26, 2026, where he was an exhibitor as the founder/developer of a Port Orange-based business called Ballistic Windshield & Glass Protection.

Farley Palmer of New Smyrna Beach is a biologist who owns an environmental consulting firm called Palmer Biological Services. While he logs a lot of miles for work, he said the increase in gas prices so far has not significantly affected his business.

A fuel price sign for the Wawa gas station on West International Speedway Boulevard, across from Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach advertises regular gasoline for $4.29 a gallon and diesel for $5.89 on Wednesday morning, April 1, 2026.

A fuel tanker truck replenishes the gasoline and diesel supplies at the Wawa gas station on West International Speedway Boulevard in Daytona Beach, across from Daytona International Speedway, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.

A service van for Carter Electric Co. Inc. in Daytona Beach.

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Updated April 2, 2026, 2:09 p.m. ET
Chris Bowler, right, president of Daytona Beverages, stands next to his dad Kevin, chairman of the Daytona Beach family-owned beverage distributorship, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. In the past month because of the Iran War, the company’s fuel costs have risen over 37%.

Chris Bowler, president of Daytona Beverages, stands in front of some of the Daytona Beach family-owned company’s fleet of 38 diesel-fueled trucks on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. In the past month because of the Iran War, the company’s fuel costs have risen over 37%.
Mark Ruggiero, center, LP gas manager at Cunningham Oil in Holly Hill, and drivers Lewis Showers, left, and Ron Washington, stand in front of two of the company’s tanker delivery trucks on April 1, 2026. Florida diesel prices have risen $2.12 a gallon in the past month.

Julie Mialki, co-owner of Giuseppe’s Steel City Pizza restaurant in Port Orange, serves a pizza to customers in 2019. Despite soaring fuel costs because of the Iran War that began Feb. 28, 2026, Mialki on April 2 said so far it hasn’t affected her family’s business.
Roy Gailey, left, CEO of Carter Electric in Daytona Beach, and company president Matt Wittwer, who oversees day-to-day operations for the commercial electrical contractor business. Gailey said rising fuel costs are definitely eating into his company’s profits.

Skip Lilly is sales and marketing manager at Vision HR in Daytona Beach.
Guillermo Alvarez, a Miami Lakes-based independent trucker with Mercer Transportation, at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 26, 2026. Alvarez said rising fuel costs have made it much harder for him to make a profit. “It’s crazy,” he said.

Ted Patterson, pictured at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 26, 2026, where he was an exhibitor as the founder/developer of a Port Orange-based business called Ballistic Windshield & Glass Protection.
Farley Palmer of New Smyrna Beach is a biologist who owns an environmental consulting firm called Palmer Biological Services. While he logs a lot of miles for work, he said the increase in gas prices so far has not significantly affected his business.

A fuel price sign for the Wawa gas station on West International Speedway Boulevard, across from Daytona International Speedway, in Daytona Beach advertises regular gasoline for $4.29 a gallon and diesel for $5.89 on Wednesday morning, April 1, 2026.
A fuel tanker truck replenishes the gasoline and diesel supplies at the Wawa gas station on West International Speedway Boulevard in Daytona Beach, across from Daytona International Speedway, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.

Mark Ruggiero, center, LP gas manager at Cunningham Oil in Holly Hill, and drivers Lewis Showers, left, and Ron Washington, stand in front of two of the company’s tanker delivery trucks on April 1, 2026. Florida diesel prices have risen $2.12 a gallon in the past month.
Chris Bowler, president of Daytona Beverages, stands in front of some of the Daytona Beach family-owned company’s fleet of 38 diesel-fueled trucks on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. In the past month because of the Iran War, the company’s fuel costs have risen over 37%.

A service van for Carter Electric Co. Inc. in Daytona Beach.

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Iran War, rising fuel costs takes toll on Florida businesses, truckers – Daytona Beach News-Journal

Iran War, rising fuel costs takes toll on Florida businesses, truckers