- The FDACS says GATE gas station on Blairstone Road is under a stop-sale order due to water-contaminated fuel.
- Several neighbors reported that their cars broke down soon after filling up at the station Thursday. GATE representatives say they are working with people who have contacted them.
- Watch the video to learn what you should do if this happens to you.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The pumps at a Southwood gas station are out of order due to water contamination, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). I'm Kenya Cardonne, your Southeast Tallahassee neighborhood reporter. I'm speaking with neighbors facing car troubles recently after filling up here and finding out what you need to do if this happens to you.
A situation several residents in Southwood found themselves in after filling up their tanks at the Gate gas station on Blair Stone Rd on Thursday.
Wanda Torres, Neighbor - "And it's instant! The crazy thing was I did not make it to Capital Circle without it affecting the engine."
Wanda Torres works at Independence Landing, an affordable housing community for people with a range of disabilities.
Their only wheelchair-accessible van will now need to be towed for repair after completely breaking down near Florida High about two miles away.
Torres- "An hour before that, I had a full van with four residents in it. So had I decided to get the gas with them, it would have really been a disaster."
I came across a couple of posts on Facebook and NextDoor from neighbors in the same situation. One neighbor's post says she was told by an officer that she was the fifth incident that day.
In a statement to WTXL, The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services writes, in part, "The department received information about potentially water-contaminated fuel at this location today [Thursday] and immediately sent out an inspector to the location. An inspection determined the location did have water-contaminated fuel and a stop-sale order for the impacted fuel was issued immediately."
It comes just one week after they had to do the same to a Circle K on Thomasville Rd.
I reached out to GATE to ask how the contamination could have happened and what they're doing to prevent it from happening again.
They had no comment on that and sent us a statement that in part reads, "GATE is currently working directly with some customers who contacted us with car troubles after purchasing fuel at the GATE Store located at 3571 Blair Stone Rd. All pumps at this location remain closed as we investigate any potential issues."
FDACS says the stop-sale order will remain in place "until the contaminated fuel is replaced and the tanks are cleaned. Once the stations are cleared or have completed a corrective action plan fuel will once again be safe for purchase."
When I passed by the gas station on Friday, it appeared crews had begun the process.
In the meantime, neighbors are trying to figure out how to deal with the aftermath of the inconvenience.
Torres- "Until they tell us it's safe, we cannot put anybody in this van. So that means that, you know, we are really at a standstill right now, which is not good."
If this happens to you, here are the next steps you should take:
- Contact the gas station's customer service department
- GATE says you can reach them at 1-866-571-1982
- File a complaint with FDACS
- FDACS says you can reach them at 1-800-HELP-FLA or by visiting fdacs.gov
- Impacted consumers can also receive copies of the laboratory report to assist with obtaining reimbursement for any required repairs to their vehicle, according to FDACS
In Southeast Tallahassee, Kenya Cardonne ABC 27
