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Florida's Full Congressional Delegation Urges Trump To Exclude State From Expanded Offshore Drilling Plan

07:38 AM, 12/05/2025
Florida's Full Congressional Delegation Urges Trump To Exclude State From Expanded Offshore Drilling Plan

Florida's entire congressional delegation — including Senators Rick Scott and Ashley Moody and all 28 House members — asked President Trump to exclude the state from an Interior Department plan to expand offshore oil and gas leasing. Lawmakers said the proposal would encroach on the Gulf Test Range, jeopardizing more than 50,000 Panhandle jobs tied to military facilities, and threaten a tourism industry that generates $127.7 billion annually and supports about 2.1 million jobs. Governor Ron DeSantis has also opposed opening the eastern Gulf to future leasing; the White House did not immediately comment.

Florida Lawmakers Ask White House To Keep State Out Of Offshore Drilling Proposal

Dec. 4 (Reuters) — Florida's entire U.S. congressional delegation on Thursday sent a rare bipartisan letter to President Donald Trump asking that the state be excluded from an Interior Department proposal to expand oil and gas leasing into new coastal areas.

Signed by Senators Rick Scott and Ashley Moody and all 28 of Florida's House members, the letter warned that opening the eastern Gulf of Mexico to future leasing would threaten both critical military testing areas and the state's tourism-driven economy.

“The risks posed by new offshore drilling far outweigh any short-term gains,” the lawmakers wrote.

Military And Economic Concerns

The delegation emphasized that more than 50,000 jobs in the Florida Panhandle are connected to military facilities that rely on the Gulf Test Range — a vast expanse over the Gulf of Mexico used for advanced weapons testing and air combat training. Lawmakers said new drilling activity could encroach on that range and impede testing and training operations.

They also highlighted tourism's economic weight in Florida: state beaches generate an estimated $127.7 billion in annual tourism spending and support roughly 2.1 million jobs, figures the delegation warned could be jeopardized by offshore energy development.

Policy Context And Reactions

The Interior Department recently unveiled a proposal that would open the door to future leasing in the eastern portion of the Gulf of Mexico — an area long shielded from energy development because of its military use. Florida officials, including Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, have publicly opposed changing that long-standing protection.

The letter notes that President Trump maintains a residence at Mar-a-Lago on Florida's east coast. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Leslie Adler.

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