TAMPA, Fla. — Offshore oil drilling has long been a political flashpoint in Florida, where memories of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster still shape public opinion. The explosion and spill sent tar balls onto some Florida beaches and rattled the state’s tourism-driven economy.
Years later, in 2018, voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment banning drilling in state waters.
WATCH: Trump Administration's Gulf drilling plan draws bipartisan rebuke in Florida
In 2020, during his first term, President Donald Trump signed a 10-year moratorium on drilling in federal waters off Florida’s coast.
Now, the administration is proposing a shift.
On Thursday, officials with the U.S. Department of Interior unveiled a plan that would allow drilling in an area of the Gulf far offshore from the Florida coastline.
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said the move is part of a long-term strategy to strengthen domestic energy production.
“By moving forward with the development of a robust, forward-thinking leasing plan, we are ensuring that America’s offshore industry stays strong, our workers stay employed, and our nation remains energy dominant for decades to come,” he said.
But in Florida, some of the president’s strongest allies are urging him to reconsider, including Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“Our Administration supports the 2020 Presidential Memorandum and urges the Department of Interior to reconsider and to conform to the 2020 Trump Administration policy,” wrote Molly Best, the governor’s press secretary.
Both of Florida’s U.S. senators, Republicans Rick Scott and Ashley Moody, have also expressed concerns.
“I have been speaking to [Secretary Burgum] and made my expectations clear that this moratorium must remain in place, and that in any plan, Florida’s coasts must remain off the table for oil drilling to protect Florida’s tourism, environment, and military training opportunities,” Scott wrote on X.
“Preserving our state’s natural beauty is deeply important to the millions who call the Sunshine State home, our visitors, and those whose livelihoods depend on tourism,” Moody wrote on the same platform.
Rep. Jimmy Patronis, who represents Northwest Florida, warned the proposal could hurt tourism and interfere with military testing in the Gulf.
He sent a letter to the administration, joined by seven other Republican members of Congress (Byron Donalds, Scott Franklin, Laurel Lee, Vern Buchanan, Daniel Webster, Neal Dunn, and Mike Haridopolos), asking for a portion of the Gulf where military testing is conducted to be withdrawn from the drilling proposal.
“Beyond these operational challenges, further oil exploration could have severe economic consequences for the region by reducing the economic impact of the military in Northwest Florida, which contributes $21.8 billion to gross domestic product and generates nearly 200,000 jobs in the region,” Patronis wrote to President Trump. “The plan will likely also reduce tourism along the Gulf Coast, which is God’s gift to Florida.”
Opposition extends across the aisle as well. Rep. Kathy Castor, a Democrat who represents Tampa and St. Petersburg, criticized the plan.
“Florida is a special place, but it is a fragile place, and our way of life depends on clean water and clean beaches,” she said during a Thursday press conference.
The proposal now enters a 60-day public comment period before it can be finalized.
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