What to do if you’ve fallen victim to bad gas in Southwest Florida

WINK News is working to ensure that people impacted by bad gas in southwest Florida receive the compensation they deserve.

Twice this summer, southwest Florida drivers have been the victims of bad gas.

Once at a Sunoco in Lehigh Acres and this month, at multiple pumps in Cape Coral and Fort Myers, and now Arcadia at a Circle K.

Now, WINK is talking to victims of bad gas to find out whether they are being compensated for the damage to their vehicles caused by the gas.

WINK News reporter Amy Galo met with some more victims of the contaminated gas on Tuesday, speaking with two women who bought gas at the same Circle K gas station.

Not long after, their cars clunked out, and their mechanics said water was to blame.

This snapshot from a video from Lexus Smith’s mechanic at Toyota of Charlotte County says it all.

See that line at the top? That’s fuel, and everything below it.. “He called me and said it’s full of water,” said Smith of Arcadia.

Water contaminated Smith’s fuel at the Circle K gas station in Arcadia.

Now, what was an expensive $40 in gas is up hundreds.

“I had to pay someone to take me to Port Charlotte, $30, and the repairs were $646,” said Smith.

Repairs on a brand new 2024 Toyota Corolla, add to that the tow truck and rental car expenses…

Smith explained, “It was very unfair for me to come out of my pocket. I don’t have that extra money to be here, but certainly not paying for something that is not my fault.”

WINK contacted the Florida Department of Agriculture and Circle K corporate to find out what caused the gas to become contaminated, but it has not heard back.

We also stopped by the gas station, but the store clerk denied commenting.

While we have yet to confirm exactly what happened, Smith isn’t the only one blaming water.

Danetha Scott, an Arcadia resident, said, “We went to the Circle K. I filled completely up because I’m like, okay, it’s gonna get me through the rest of the week.”

$62 in gas and one night of sleep later, Scott’s car clunked out, too.

“I said, let me just go ahead and take it to the dealership and get it looked at. He called me probably a couple of hours later. He was like, you have a whole bunch of water in your gas tank,” said Scott.

Scott and Smith have contacted the Florida Department of Agriculture and have both heard back from representatives as they work to file a claim.

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• Cape Coral resident says 7-Eleven gas ruined car
• Bad gas reported at multiple gas stations in SWFL
• More cases of bad gas in Lee County and still no resolution

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Now, WINK News wants to find out what rights you have if you accidentally fill up with contaminated fuel.

After speaking with attorney Scot Goldberg, he says paper trails are important. If you bought contaminated gas, then you have to be able to prove that.

According to Goldberg, it’s also best to act quickly to avoid problems with statutes of limitations.

And though you may be tempted to contact the gas retailer, he says that will not help.

You should let the gas station know so they’re aware of the issue and nobody else falls victim to bad gas, but to get your money back, you’ll have to file a claim with the Florida Department of Agriculture.

You should have a copy of your receipt or credit card statement ready, along with the estimate you received from a mechanic showing that there is, in fact, water in your fuel.

“It takes some weeks to find out exactly what your full value of damages is, but getting it started as soon as possible after it happens is the most important thing, and then you can use the things that come in later to, you know, to prop up your claim and what’s going on with your damages,” said Goldberg.

If you bought contaminated gas, call 1-800-HELP-FLA to report it to the Florida Department of Agriculture.