Trump wants to drill off Florida coast but wait until after the election, report says

TALLAHASSEE — The Trump administration is preparing to open the door to oil and gas drilling off Florida’s coast — but will wait until after the November election to avoid blowback in a swing state whose waters both parties have long considered sacrosanct, according to a Politico report citing four unnamed sources familiar with the plans. 

Florida officials of both parties have condemned previous plans to drill off state waters. Gov. Ron DeSantis, a staunch Trump ally, has previously said he’d “be raising Cain” with the Trump administration if such plans move forward and that Florida “is not a state for that.”

“Gov. DeSantis has made clear his opposition to drilling off the coast of Florida,” DeSantis spokeswoman Helen Ferre said in an email when she was asked to respond to the Politico story.

In January 2018, then-Gov. Rick Scott stood with then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to declare Florida would be exempt from a plan to open coastal areas to oil drilling. But the idea has stuck around, even in the face of opposition from Scott, now a U.S. senator, and Florida’s other senator, Marco Rubio.

“I won’t stop fighting to make sure offshore drilling is off the table for Florida. I’m proposing several amendments to extend the moratorium on oil drilling off Florida’s Gulf Coast and protect our environment,” Scott said in a released statement. “This fight isn’t over, and I will keep working with Sen. Rubio and the entire Florida delegation to make sure Florida’s natural resources are preserved so the state can remain a top destination for families, visitors and businesses.”

The Politico story indicates Trump officials are wary of upsetting Florida officials before the election. Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, both consider Florida key to winning the White House.

“Whatever is decided is expected to come out within two to three weeks of the election,” Politico quoted one of the unnamed sources who has spoken with Interior Department officials about the plans.

Scott and Rubio sponsored a bill to extend the eastern Gulf of Mexico’s existing drilling moratorium by 10 years, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has not called the measure up for debate.

Rubio could not be reached for comment.

Florida Democratic Party chairwoman Terrie Rizzo blasted the reported move.

“This is outrageous, but not a surprise,” Rizzo said in a released statement. “There is no promise to voters Donald Trump won’t break to help his buddies in big business. Florida’s tourism industry has already been absolutely devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, a crisis worsened by Trump’s ineptitude, and allowing offshore drilling would further threaten our economy.”