SUNNY ISLES BEACH, Fla. — Environmental advocates in South Florida are voicing strong opposition after reports that the Trump administration is moving to open federal waters off Florida’s Gulf Coast to oil and gas drilling.
“We’re surrounded by habitat everywhere, and it’s barely hanging on,” said Sam Van Leer, founder of the Urban Paradise Guild.
He noted that more than 70% of the state’s seafood and game fish depend on mangroves during their life cycle.
Oceana called the proposal “a disaster waiting to happen,” warning it could jeopardize coastlines, marine life and local economies.
J.P. Brooker, Florida conservation director for the Ocean Conservancy, said residents have repeatedly rejected offshore drilling and are again uniting in opposition.
“Again and again we’ve said we don’t want drilling off the coast of Florida and now is no different, so now we’re uniting our voices together to make sure this doesn’t happen,” he said.
Offshore drilling remains banned in state waters under a constitutional amendment approved by voters, and the proposal conflicts with a 2020 presidential memorandum that halted new oil and gas leasing off Florida until 2032.
A spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state supports the 2020 policy and is urging federal officials to adhere to it.
“There’s literally no way of extracting it,” Van Leer said. “It’s not a beach where you can walk around with a shovel — and even then you don’t get it all.”
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