Florida Coastal Protection Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Florida Coastal Protection Act amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Secretary from issuing leases or other authorizations for oil or natural gas exploration, development, or production in three Florida-adjacent offshore areas: the Eastern Gulf of Mexico area referenced in the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006, the South Atlantic Planning Area south of 30 degrees 43 minutes north latitude as depicted in the 2024-2029 leasing program, and the Straits of Florida Planning Area. The prohibition protects future leasing decisions but expressly does not affect rights under leases issued before enactment.
Who Benefits and How
Florida coastal communities benefit because the bill blocks new offshore oil and gas leasing near tourism, fishing, and beach economies. Coastal tourism businesses benefit from reduced risk of new drilling-related spills, industrial activity, and reputational harm. Commercial fishing operators benefit from lower risk that new offshore oil and gas development disrupts fishing grounds or marine ecosystems. Environmental organizations benefit because the bill creates a statutory bar rather than a temporary administrative leasing pause.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Offshore oil producers bear the burden because new leases and authorizations would be unavailable in the covered Florida-adjacent areas. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management must exclude the covered areas from future lease and authorization decisions. The Secretary of the Interior must administer the prohibition while preserving pre-enactment lease rights. Federal taxpayers may lose potential offshore leasing revenue from areas that would otherwise be eligible for development.
Key Provisions
- Prohibits new oil and natural gas leasing or authorization in specified Eastern Gulf of Mexico areas.
- Prohibits new oil and natural gas activity in the South Atlantic Planning Area south of 30 degrees 43 minutes north latitude.
- Prohibits new oil and natural gas leasing or authorization in the Straits of Florida Planning Area.
- Protects rights under offshore leases issued before enactment.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Permanently bars new oil and natural gas exploration, development, production leases, and authorizations in specified Eastern Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and Straits of Florida offshore planning areas.
Key Policy Areas
Energy, Environment, Florida
Primary Purpose
Permanently bars new oil and natural gas exploration, development, production leases, and authorizations in specified Eastern Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and Straits of Florida offshore planning areas.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Florida coastal communities
- Coastal tourism businesses
- Commercial fishing operators
- Environmental organizations
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Offshore oil producers
- Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
- Secretary of the Interior
- Federal taxpayers
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMs. Castor of Florida (for herself, Mr. Buchanan, Mr. Soto, …
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced in House
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology