Florida's congressional delegation sends letter to President Trump to reject offshore drilling plans

Dear President Trump:

We write as members of Florida’s congressional delegation to express our strong opposition to any attempts to expand offshore oil and gas drilling off Florida’s coasts. In 2020, you made the right decision to use executive action to extend the moratorium on oil and gas leasing off Florida’s gulf and east coasts through 2032, recognizing the incredible value Florida’s pristine coasts have to our state’s economy, environment, and military community. This move received overwhelming and bipartisan support.

The recent announcement from the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on their proposed five-year offshore leasing plan, announced November 20, 2025, includes a “new” planning area called the South-Central Gulf of America. If this plan were to move forward, the area would clearly fall within the area protected under your moratorium in a clear violation of your 2020 Executive Order. This area also falls within the Gulf Test Range, a critical military training area used by several military forces along Florida’s Panhandle for advanced military testing, training, and evaluation of air and weapons systems.

The Gulf Test Range, remains an integral part of Department of War training to ensure mission readiness and is supported by multiple military bases in Florida’s Panhandle. Collectively, these bases employ tens of thousands of military and civilian personnel and are of critical importance to national security. Eglin Air Force Base alone supports 20,000 personnel, provides the country with $11 billion in economic impact every year, and currently boasts 123,000 square miles of water range, which would all have to be reduced in an instance of an encroachment of the Gulf Test Range. The Gulf Test Range is the largest multi-domain military training and testing complex in the country, and its unique geographic characteristics enable critical preparation for real-world contingencies. Protecting this range from encroachment, including oil exploration, is essential. Over 50,000 jobs in the Panhandle depend directly on operations at these military facilities connected to the Gulf Test Range.

Florida’s economy relies on that same beautiful coastline, vibrant tourism industry, and sustainable fisheries. In fact, Florida’s beaches alone generate more than $127.7 billion per year in tourism spending and support over 2.1 million tourism-related jobs. Unfortunately, all these resources suffered devastating harm during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010. That disaster wiped billions of dollars from Florida’s industries and caused irreparable damage to our environment and coastal communities. The risks posed by new offshore drilling far outweigh any short-term gains.

For these reasons, we urge you to uphold your existing moratorium and keep Florida’s coasts off the table for oil and gas leasing. Florida’s economy, environment, and military readiness depend on this commitment.

Thank you for your consideration and leadership in preserving Florida’s coast and security.