TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — As members of Congress head home to Florida for the holidays, a bipartisan fight is intensifying over the future of offshore drilling in the Gulf.
A draft federal plan released last month by the U.S. Department of the Interior is weighing whether to open large sections of the eastern Gulf to new oil and gas leasing as early as 2029. Those are areas that have long been off-limits because of environmental risks and sensitive military testing near Eglin Air Force Base.
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The proposal has triggered swift pushback from Florida lawmakers across the political spectrum.
U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody (R), Florida’s junior senator, is helping leading the opposition in Washington. She is sponsoring the American Shores Protection Act, legislation that would ban offshore drilling near Florida’s coastline and extend existing protections through 2032.
The bill would codify a previous Trump-era moratorium that followed years of bipartisan resistance to drilling and overwhelming voter support for protecting Florida’s waters.
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“I mean Florida's vitality success depends so much on our coastal waterways,” she said. “I think it's incredibly important, given our history, that we remain mindful of any policies or any legislation coming out that might jeopardize that.”
Moody says Florida’s economy and way of life depend on healthy coastlines, pointing to the lasting damage from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which closed beaches, devastated tourism, and caused billions of dollars in losses across the Gulf Coast.
“Not only did I live through that as a Floridian, certainly as the attorney general, I am mindful of what went down and all that was required to recover from when we saw spills in the past.”
Democrats have echoed those concerns, with Tampa Bay Congresswoman Kathy Castor (D) arguing that expanding drilling would prioritize oil companies over Florida’s environment, economy, and coastal communities.
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“Big Oil does not need any more help right now,” Castor said last month. “They are doing fine. They hold over 2,000 active leases in the Gulf already, and only a fifth are producing oil, but they want to keep energy prices high and line their own pockets.”
At the same time, Republican allies of President Donald Trump are also voicing opposition. Congressman Jimmy Patronis (R) of the Florida Panhandle says the proposed drilling areas conflict with critical military operations in northwest Florida, including weapons testing and training missions that cannot be relocated elsewhere.
“There's a lot of things going on, a lot of new faces,” he said. “We know this isn't done on purpose, but we need to make sure that we understand these two issues are not compatible.”
Patronis is now urging Floridians to weigh in directly, encouraging public comments before the federal comment period closes on Jan. 23. He says local governments, businesses, and residents speaking up could influence whether the plan moves forward.
“This is how some of these decisions get ironed out, and what is in the best interest and not the best interest for Northwest Florida,” said Patronis.
The Trump administration has framed expanded drilling as one possible tool to address energy costs and affordability, but Florida lawmakers say the risks to tourism, the environment, and national security are too high.
