Donald Trump made a promise to Florida in 2020.
He put that promise in writing and protected the state's coastline from drilling.
But Donald Trump just got blindsided by Florida Republicans over this drilling decision.
Trump Administration reverses course on Gulf Coast protection
President Trump signed a memorandum in September 2020 that banned offshore oil and gas drilling along Florida's coasts through 2032.¹
The move came after Florida Republicans spent years pushing back against federal drilling plans in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico.
Nearly 69% of Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2018 banning offshore drilling in state waters.²
Trump's Interior Department just threw that all out the window.
Secretary Doug Burgum released maps showing plans to open up the Eastern Gulf — roughly 100 miles off Florida's Panhandle — to oil drilling starting in 2029.
The proposal covers federal waters along the entire length of Florida's Panhandle that have never been open to drilling before.
"Offshore oil and gas production does not happen overnight," Burgum said. "By moving forward with the development of a robust, forward-thinking leasing plan, we are ensuring that America's offshore industry stays strong."³
https://twitter.com/SecretaryBurgum/status/1929661256858062983?s=20
Florida Republicans aren't buying it.
DeSantis leads revolt against Trump Administration
Governor Ron DeSantis came out swinging against his own party's President.
DeSantis said Florida's Gulf Coast "does not have the same oil and gas reserves as other states in the region" and pointed out the state already has active drilling on land.⁴
"Our Administration supports the 2020 Presidential Memorandum and urges the Department of Interior to reconsider and to conform to the 2020 Trump Administration policy," DeSantis spokesman Molly Best stated.⁵
https://twitter.com/ReOpenChris/status/1991925354072875220?s=20
Senator Rick Scott reminded Trump that he worked "closely with President Trump during his first term to extend the moratorium banning oil drilling off Florida's coasts through 2032."⁶
Scott made clear his expectations that "this moratorium must remain in place."
Senator Ashley Moody called the Interior Department's maps "HIGHLY concerning" and said she would be "engaging directly with the department on this issue."⁷
https://twitter.com/SenAshleyMoody/status/1986172218062016667?s=20
Even Trump's most loyal supporters in Congress broke ranks.
Representative Byron Donalds — a Trump-endorsed candidate for Florida governor — signed a letter to the President urging him to reverse course.
The letter warned that drilling "could have severe economic consequences for the region" and would "reduce tourism along the Gulf Coast, which is God's gift to Florida."⁸
Florida tourism economy faces existential threat
Here's what Trump's drilling plan puts at risk.
Florida's tourism industry generated $133.6 billion in economic impact last year and supported 1.8 million jobs.⁹
The state's beaches alone generate more than $127 billion annually in tourism spending.¹⁰
That tourism money saved Florida's 9.1 million households nearly $2,000 each in taxes last year.¹¹
One oil spill could wipe all of that out overnight.
Florida Republicans remember what happened after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster.
That spill contaminated 491 miles of coastline across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.¹²
Northwest Florida alone lost $2.04 billion in tourism revenue from cancelled trips in the year after Deepwater Horizon.¹³
The spill killed 11 workers when the rig exploded and released 3.19 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf over 87 days.¹⁴
Representative Vern Buchanan warned that history could repeat itself.
"One oil spill could devastate our economy," Buchanan wrote. "The consequences of an offshore oil spill are devastating for our environment, economy, and coastal communities."¹⁵
https://twitter.com/VernBuchanan/status/1995266740343759209?s=20
Look, Trump built his first-term legacy on listening to his supporters and delivering on promises.
He promised Florida protection from offshore drilling and put it in writing with a 2020 memorandum that specifically banned drilling off the state's coasts through 2032.
Now his own Interior Department is tearing up that promise to hand the Eastern Gulf over to oil companies.
Florida Republicans — including DeSantis, Scott, Moody, and even Trump loyalist Byron Donalds — are united in opposition.
They're reminding Trump that Florida's $133.6 billion tourism economy depends on pristine beaches that attract 143 million visitors a year.
And they're not backing down just because Trump's the one pushing drilling this time.
¹ Rob Shuter, "Trump faces rare rift with Florida Republicans over offshore drilling plan," The Hill, November 21, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Yacob Reyes, "Florida leaders push back against Trump's drilling plan," Axios, December 2, 2025.
⁴ Adrian Morgade, "Will Florida lawmakers prevail against Trump, again?," The Floridian, December 1, 2025.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Shuter, The Hill.
⁷ Staff, "Senator Ashley Moody Fights to Protect Florida's Coast from Offshore Oil Drilling," The Floridian, December 1, 2025.
⁸ Reyes, Axios.
⁹ Florida Realtors, "Florida Tourism Hit $133.6B in 2024," November 2025.
¹⁰ Morgade, The Floridian.
¹¹ Florida Realtors.
¹² Wikipedia, "Deepwater Horizon oil spill," December 2025.
¹³ ScienceDirect, "Economic impacts of cancelled recreational trips to Northwest Florida after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill," December 2017.
¹⁴ Wikipedia.
¹⁵ Morgade, The Floridian.
