Trump faces rare rift with Florida Republicans over offshore drilling plan

Source: The Hill

11/23/25 12:00 PM ET


Florida Republicans are fuming as the Trump administration proposes to open up new drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. “The new maps released today by @SecretaryBurgum and @Interior outlining potential new offshore oil drilling sites in the Gulf of America are HIGHLY concerning—and we will be engaging directly with the department on this issue,” wrote Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) in a post on the social platform X.

“Preserving our state’s natural beauty is deeply important to the millions who call the Sunshine State home, our visitors, and those whose livelihoods depend on tourism,” Moody wrote.

The office of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) also criticized the plan, noting that in 2020, President Trump blocked drilling off the state’s coasts. “Our Administration supports the 2020 Presidential Memorandum and urges the Department of Interior to reconsider and to conform to the 2020 Trump Administration policy,” Molly Best, a spokesperson for DeSantis, said in a statement to The Hill.

It’s a rare rift between the state’s Republicans and Trump, who made the state his primary residence in 2019. While his Mar-a-Lago resort is situated on the state’s east coast on the Atlantic Ocean, drilling in the eastern gulf would be more likely to impact the state’s west coast.

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5618027-florida-republicans-trump-offshore-drilling-plan-gulf-desantis/