Sen. Rick Scott led Florida’s entire congressional delegation in a letter to President Trump urging him to reject any potential Interior Department plans that violate the moratorium banning oil drilling off Florida’s coast. Members note that Florida’s coast is an iconic and pristine part of the state’s environment, serves as a vital national security site for military training at the Gulf Coast Test Range, and contributes to job creation and tourism spending of more than $127 billion annually.
Sen. Scott has worked with President Trump over the years, both as governor and senator, to keep drilling for oil off Florida’s pristine coast, and he sponsored the American Coast Protection Act, which codifies the president’s moratorium on oil drilling off Florida’s coast until 2032.
Dear President Trump:
As members of Florida’s Congressional delegation, we write to express our strong opposition to any attempt to expand oil and gas drilling on Florida’s coast. In 2020, you recognized that Florida’s pristine coastline has incredible value to Florida’s economic, environmental, and military communities and made the right decision to exercise executive action to extend the moratorium on oil and gas leases in Florida Bay and off the East Coast until 2032. The move received overwhelming bipartisan support.
The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)’s recent announcement of a proposed five-year ocean lease plan, released on November 20, 2025, includes a “new” planning area called South Central American Gulf. If this plan were to move forward, the area would be in clear violation of your 2020 Executive Order and fall within the areas protected under your moratorium. The area is also included in the Gulf Test Range, an important military training area used by several militaries along the Florida Panhandle for advanced military testing, training, and evaluation of aviation and weapons systems.
The Gulf Test Range is an integral part of the Department of the Army’s training to ensure mission readiness and is supported by multiple military bases in the Florida Panhandle. Together, these bases employ tens of thousands of military and civilian personnel and are critical to national security. Eglin Air Force Base alone supports 20,000 personnel, generates $11 billion in economic impact for the country each year, and currently boasts a range of 123,000 square miles, all of which would have to be scaled back if it were to invade the Gulf Test Range. The Gulf Test Range is the nation’s largest multi-domain military training and testing facility, and its unique geography enables critical preparedness for real-world emergencies. It is essential to protect this range from intrusions such as oil exploration. More than 50,000 jobs in the Panhandle are directly dependent on activities at these military installations connected to the Gulf Test Range.
Florida’s economy relies on the same beautiful coastline, vibrant tourism industry, and sustainable fishing industry. In fact, Florida beaches alone generate more than $127.7 billion in tourism spending annually and support more than 2.1 million tourism-related jobs. Unfortunately, all these resources were devastated by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. That disaster cost Florida industries billions of dollars and caused irreparable damage to the environment and coastal communities. The risks posed by new offshore drilling far outweigh the short-term benefits.
For these reasons, we urge the existing moratorium to remain in place and keep Florida’s coasts exempt from oil and gas leasing. Florida’s economic, environmental, and military readiness depend on this effort.
Thank you for your care and leadership in protecting Florida’s coasts and safety.
