FORT WALTON BEACH — The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is investigating a local gas station after water was found in its gasoline.
Four complaints were filed by customers whose vehicles broke down after they bought gas at the Hollywood Food Mart at 248 Hollywood Blvd., said Erin Gillespie, press secretary for the department.
The station was inspected July 8, the day the complaints first came in, Gillespie said. Water was found in all the gasoline and a stop-sale order was issued.
Regular gas now can be sold, but a stop order still is in effect for mid-grade and premium gas, Gillespie said. It will be lifted when the department is sure the gas is free of water.
Water can get into a pump through a broken seal on the in-ground tank, a leak underground in the pump, or a crack somewhere that allows water to get in, Gillespie said.
The department still is inspecting the station and investigating the incident. Typically, a station would be fined for that type of occurrence, Gillespie said.
Gina Covey gassed up her Mazda Tribute at Valero the morning of July 8. The small SUV ran for a few blocks before it shut down.
After AAA towed it to an auto shop, a mechanic inspected it and asked Covey if she had been in a flood. The tank was filled with water.
“ ‘It doesn’t even smell like gas,’ ” Covey recalled the mechanic saying. “ ‘We wouldn’t be able to even light it on fire.’ ”
She took the $217 repair bill to the Valero station. Employees promised it would be taken care of, but Covey has yet to get a reimbursement.
Azab Rahman, the owner of the station, said those affected likely would be reimbursed next week. He said he had no idea how water got into the pumps.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Lauren Delgado at 850-315-4445 or ldelgado@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenDnwfdn.