Overview
- Every member of Florida’s congressional delegation signed a letter urging President Trump to exclude the state from planned offshore lease sales.
- Lawmakers asked the president to maintain his 2020 moratorium that bars oil and gas leasing off Florida’s Gulf and Atlantic coasts through 2032.
- The delegation said proposed leasing would encroach on the Gulf Test Range, citing more than 50,000 Panhandle jobs tied to military facilities.
- They warned of economic risks to beaches and tourism, noting $127.7 billion in annual visitor spending and 2.1 million jobs, and pointing to the Deepwater Horizon spill’s toll.
- Interior’s draft 2026–2031 program contemplates up to 34 lease sales nationwide, including new areas off California and parts of the Gulf, with public comments open through late January and prospective Florida-area drilling at least 100 miles offshore.