"It's not going down forever," he said.
What's the reason for it in the first place?
"They've got reasons," Benitez said, though he wouldn't say what those are.
So we're only left to guess.
And, perhaps, to revive a push for a citywide ordinance (current city code only covers the area near the airport and a county ordinance only covers unincorporated areas) that would protect customers from too-discreet signs or stations that don't have them at all.
These stations aren't the only offenders. Code-enforcement officials have heard complaints about stations near International Drive and another near Semoran Boulevard and Lake Underhill Road.
No one is trying to tell stations how much they can charge for gas. But they shouldn't be allowed to conceal their prices until tourists feel trapped.
Sure, you can argue that tourists are just as capable as anyone else of pulling out of the station as quickly as they pulled in, once they realize the price of gas.
Several actually did that while I spent time at both stations last week.
"I'm not going to get it, on principal," said Jeff Miller, who was on his way back to North Carolina and left Suncoast without gassing up when he noticed the price.
Like it or not, Orlando still lives and dies by the experiences visitors have here and what they tell their friends back home. Like that time they had to pay 6 bucks for a gallon of gas.
bkassab@tribune.com or 407-420-5448
Note: An earlier version of this column left unclear the status of an Orange County ordinance governing signs at gas stations. The county passed an ordinance last year that covers gas stations in unincorporated areas.
