Florida waters off-limits: Congress blocks new offshore oil drilling
H.R. 2673 — Florida Coastal Protection Act · Filed by Kathy Castor (D-FL) · 14 cosponsors · Introduced Apr 7, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends federal law to prohibit the federal government from issuing new oil and natural gas leases or permits in three specific ocean areas off Florida's coast: the Eastern Gulf of Mexico (already restricted under prior law), the South Atlantic Planning Area south of a specified latitude, and the Straits of Florida. Existing leases issued before the bill's enactment remain valid. The bill benefits coastal communities and environmental interests by blocking new offshore drilling in sensitive waters; it restricts oil and gas companies from accessing these federal waters.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a straightforward prohibition on new federal oil and gas leases in three offshore areas. It is a conservation measure that restricts private sector access to public resources, not a subsidy, carve-out, or deregulation.
What the text implies
- Existing leases remain valid, so the bill does not retroactively cancel current operations or revenue streams from already-issued permits.
- The bill references specific planning areas from a 2023 federal leasing program document; its scope is tied to that administrative definition and may require interpretation if boundaries are disputed.
- The Eastern Gulf area is already restricted under the 2006 Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, so the bill's inclusion of that area is largely confirmatory rather than new policy.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Ordinary citizens in coastal Florida gain protection from new offshore oil and gas development, reducing risks of spills, environmental damage, and climate emissions. The restriction applies only to future leases, preserving existing operations, so disruption to current energy supply is minimal. The primary cost falls on oil and gas companies seeking new exploration rights, not on the public.
Named in the bill
Secretary of Interior (or relevant federal agency), Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006, Eastern Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic Planning Area, Straits of Florida Planning Area, National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Final Program (2024–2029)
Where it stands
14 cosponsors: 8 Democrats, 6 Republicans.
- Apr 7, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Apr 7, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
3 lobbying clients named this bill on 5 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $1,053,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 59 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 61% of bills with at least one filing.
Kathy Castor, the sponsor, reported $1,028,281 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- Ocean Conservancy — $403,000 on 2 filings
- Defenders of Wildlife — $370,000 on 2 filings
- Oceana Inc — $280,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 17, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,332 characters) on Aug 21, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 17, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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