Florida Gets Its First E15 Stations

FORT MYERS, Fla. — E15 fuel became available in Florida Wednesday with kickoff events held at Sarasota's Easy Stop CITGO and a Ft. Myers Marathon location. The gas stations partnered with Lake Wales, Fla.-based Mid-State Energy and Boca Raton, Fla.-based Protec Fuel to launch the 88-octane E15.

This marks the first store openings in a 28-store rollout of E15 to metropolitan areas that include various Southeast cities, according to the announcement. 

"We are extremely excited to be the first in Florida to offer this additional grade of alternative fuel and offer our customers more choices as it comes to fueling," said Ken Allen, president of Mid-State Energy, which owns both the Fort Myers and Sarasota gas stations.

Both stations also offer E85 and B20 biodiesel fuel.

Protec Fuel will manage the ethanol blends installation and provide the locations' new cleaner-burning fuels. 

"We are proud to help introduce American-made ethanol into the fuel pool through E15 in Florida," said Protec's Steve Walk, vice president of business development, "especially as it's a higher performance fuel at 88-octane. It's so convenient for drivers to make a difference — you can use E15 interchangeably with gas if you're driving a 2001 or newer model."