Antonio Mazilu, owner of Scoop N Fruit in downtown Glen Cove, has recently been relying on a gas-powered generator to keep his ice cream inventory from melting.
High winds Monday night knocked down a power line in his backyard, leaving his home without electricity and forcing him to run a generator to power commercial freezers in his garage while waiting for the issue to be resolved.
The situation has made Mazilu especially aware of the recent rise in fuel costs. Crude oil prices have increased since the onset of the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
Gas prices nationwide are currently averaging about $3.71 per gallon, according to the American Automobile Association. In New York, the statewide average recently reached about $3.60 per gallon, while in Nassau and Suffolk counties, the average was about $3.55.
As of Tuesday, prices in Glen Cove range from $3.39 to $3.69 per gallon, according to data from GasBuddy.com. The lowest reported price was at the Gulf station, at 85 Sea Cliff Ave., where gas was listed at $3.39. Nearby, the Speedway station, at 86 Glen Cove Ave., reported gas at $3.49, while both the Mobil station, at 43 Glen Cove Ave., and the Sunoco station, at 1 Glen Cove Ave., listed prices at $3.69.
The roughly 30-cent difference between stations means drivers filling a 15-gallon tank could pay about $4.50 more depending on where they choose to fuel up.
Oil briefly surged to nearly $120 per barrel about a week after the war with Iran began and has since fallen to around $100, where it has hovered for several days. Before the conflict, oil prices were closer to $70 per barrel.
Mazilu said he began noticing prices climb around the same time tensions escalated in the Middle East, following the Feb. 28 U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran.
“I noticed that it went from $3.09 to like $3.50 in a matter of a few days,” Mazilu said.
To save money, he said he often drives outside Glen Cove to buy gas in nearby Greenvale.
Mazilu said the rising prices are affecting both his business and his family. He and his wife, Olga — a Delta Air Lines employee who has worked for the company for 19 years — are raising five children, and transportation costs are becoming a growing concern. Olga commutes 23 miles each way to John F. Kennedy International Airport, which adds to the family’s fuel expenses.
“It is more than 50 cents per gallon, which adds up,” Mazilu said.
Mazilu said he is also concerned about the impact higher fuel costs could have on his business if delivery expenses increase.
“As a business owner, I’m only afraid that because gas prices are going up, then the price of my products being delivered to me will also go up,” he said. “Hopefully that’s not the case, but I’m preparing myself just in case the prices go up where I would have to increase my prices to actually survive.”
Other Glen Cove residents said the timing of the increase has created additional stress.
Tammy Lanham, whose husband, Tommy, is the pastor at Glen Cove Christian Church, said the family is currently traveling daily for medical treatments.
“It’s bad timing for us,” Lanham said. “Tommy Lanham has daily radiation treatments for his cancer. We’re just thankful his treatment center is just in Greenvale. There are people there that travel an hour or more every day.”
At the Long Island Association’s “What’s New in Washington” event, held at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury on Monday, U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi said the situation could continue affecting energy prices in the coming weeks.
“We see what’s happening with the Strait of Hormuz, and what’s the plan? Shouldn’t that have been thought of ahead of time?” Suozzi said. “We don’t want to see more soldiers die. We don’t want to see gas prices going through the roof. We don’t want to see our alliances fracture because we didn’t work together as a team. I can’t give you a prediction other than it’s going to be rough sailing for the next 30 days.”
