TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Florida’s full congressional delegation urged President Donald Trump on Thursday to exclude the state from an administration proposal to expand offshore oil and gas drilling, warning the plan could endanger both military operations and tourism revenue. The unified message, delivered in a letter signed by Senators Rick Scott and Ashley Moody along with the state’s 28 House members, marked a rare bipartisan challenge to the president’s energy strategy.
Lawmakers argued the economic and national security risks outweigh any potential short-term energy gains. “The risks posed by new offshore drilling far outweigh any short-term gains,” the delegation wrote, citing concerns that drilling activity could encroach on the Gulf Test Range—an area of the Gulf of Mexico critical for weapons development and air combat training. According to the letter, more than 50,000 jobs in the Florida Panhandle depend on military facilities linked to the range.
Tourism was another major point of contention. Florida’s beaches generate an estimated $127.7 billion annually and support roughly 2.1 million jobs, prompting officials to warn that drilling could undermine the state’s economic backbone.
The Interior Department recently advanced a proposal opening the door to future leasing in the eastern Gulf, an area long shielded from drilling due to military use. The move has drawn opposition from state leaders, including Governor Ron DeSantis. Trump’s residence, Mar-a-Lago, sits on Florida’s eastern coast, which would not be directly affected by Gulf leasing decisions.
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