Ron DeSantis built his political career championing Trump's America First agenda.
Now he's breaking with the President on an issue that matters to millions of Floridians.
And Ron DeSantis just delivered one message to Donald Trump that has everyone talking.
Trump Administration reverses course on Florida drilling protections
The Trump Administration's Interior Department dropped a bombshell proposal that caught Florida Republicans off guard.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced plans to open federal waters in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil drilling starting in 2029.
The proposal includes six offshore lease sales between 2027 and 2030 in areas at least 100 miles off Florida's coast.
This represents a dramatic reversal from Trump's 2020 first-term executive order that protected Florida waters from drilling until 2032.
Back then, Trump stood at a Florida campaign event calling himself the top environmental President since Teddy Roosevelt while signing protections that Florida leaders had fought for.
Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke had excluded Florida from drilling plans during Trump's first term because the state's coasts are "heavily reliant on tourism as an economic driver."¹
That policy earned Trump praise from Florida Republicans who understood the state's economy depends on pristine beaches and clean waters.
Now the same administration is reversing course, and Florida's Republican leadership isn't having it.
DeSantis urges Trump to stand by 2020 protections
Governor Ron DeSantis held a press conference in Crystal River where he made his position crystal clear.
"I thought it was very thoughtful policy in 2020," DeSantis stated. "Now what the Interior Department is proposing to do is really to go back off that policy, and I think that would weaken protections that we worked very hard to establish."²
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1991648106254069903?s=20
DeSantis raised concerns beyond just environmental protection.
The Governor pointed to military training operations in Florida's Panhandle as another reason to maintain the drilling ban.
"If you go talk to our folks up in the Panhandle who are stationed there, they will say it's really important to be able to have that access to be able to do key training," DeSantis explained.³
The Eastern Gulf Test and Training Range represents the largest military test and training range in the continental United States.
Military leaders have warned for decades that offshore drilling infrastructure creates conflicts with defense operations and undermines national security.
U.S. Senator Rick Scott joined DeSantis in opposing the Trump Administration's drilling plan.
"Florida's beautiful beaches and coastal waters are so important to our state's economy, environment, and military community," Scott wrote on social media. "I have been speaking to @SecretaryBurgum and made my expectations clear that this moratorium must remain in place."⁴
https://twitter.com/SenRickScott/status/1991611004979958252?s=20
Even Democrat U.S. Representative Kathy Castor found herself on the same side as Florida Republicans.
"President Trump is selling out Floridians to his big oil donors, and we feel betrayed," Castor told reporters. "Drilling off of the coast of Florida is way too risky and it is a slap in the face after the damage done by the BP Deepwater Horizon blowout."⁵
That 2010 disaster still haunts Florida voters who remember the ecological and economic devastation.
The Deepwater Horizon explosion killed 11 workers and spewed 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf over 87 days.
Oil contaminated more than 1,300 miles of Gulf shoreline, destroying wildlife habitats and crippling Florida's tourism industry.
A 2017 study found that 1.88 million planned trips to Northwest Florida were cancelled in the year following the spill, costing the region $2.04 billion in economic losses.⁶
Florida voters sent an unmistakable message about offshore drilling in 2018 when 69 percent approved a constitutional amendment banning oil and gas drilling in state waters.⁷
That overwhelming margin shows this isn't a partisan issue in Florida – it's about protecting the state's economic lifeblood.
Tourism accounts for 10 percent of Florida's GDP, with Gulf Coast fishing, tourism, and recreation contributing $17.5 billion annually to the state economy.
The oil industry argues drilling in the Eastern Gulf is necessary for America's long-term energy security.
"Exploring nearby areas is not only smart policy, it can be a smart investment decision," said Erik Milito, president of the National Ocean Industries Association. "It keeps the region attractive for capital, extends its productive life, and leverages the strengths that have made the Gulf one of the world's most successful offshore basins."⁸
But DeSantis and Florida's Republican delegation aren't buying the argument that energy independence requires risking Florida's beaches.
A group of eight Florida Republican Congressmen wrote to the Interior Department expressing concerns about drilling blocks situated too far east.
Representatives Jimmy Patronis, Neal Dunn, Scott Franklin, Daniel Webster, Byron Donalds, Mike Haridopolos, Laurel Lee, and Vern Buchanan argued the proposed lease blocks impact critical military missions.⁹
DeSantis made clear he hopes Trump will reconsider.
"We hope that they double down on the 2020 policy and not push ahead with what Interior wants to do now," the Governor stated.¹⁰
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1991648106254069903?s=20
This creates a rare split between Trump and Florida Republicans who have been among his most loyal supporters.
The President made Florida his primary residence in 2019 and the state has become reliably Republican in recent election cycles.
But offshore drilling represents a red line for Florida politicians who understand their political survival depends on protecting the state's beaches and tourism economy.
¹ A.G. Gancarski, "Gov. DeSantis pleads with Donald Trump administration to roll back offshore drilling plan," Florida Politics, November 21, 2025.
² Anita Padilla, "DeSantis urges Interior Department to halt proposed plans for Gulf drilling off coast of Florida," Florida News, November 21, 2025.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Rachel Frazin, "Trump faces rare rift with Florida Republicans over offshore drilling plan," The Hill, November 23, 2025.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Tatiana Borisova et al., "Economic impacts of cancelled recreational trips to Northwest Florida after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill," Science Direct, December 28, 2017.
⁷ Rachel Frazin, "Trump faces rare rift with Florida Republicans over offshore drilling plan," The Hill, November 23, 2025.
⁸ Ibid.
⁹ Ibid.
¹⁰ A.G. Gancarski, "Gov. DeSantis pleads with Donald Trump administration to roll back offshore drilling plan," Florida Politics, November 21, 2025.
