Council gives support of opposition to expand offshore oil and gas drilling

Nov 11, 2026 2 min read

By MEGHAN BRADBURY

The Sanibel City Council gave support in submitting a letter of opposition to expand offshore oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of America program areas A and B last week.

Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation Chief Executive Officer James Evans told council he was there in partnership with their friends at Oceana to support their initiative to recruit local elected officials to sign on to a letter urging the Trump Administration to remove areas of Florida’s Gulf Coast from its proposed offshore oil drilling plan.

“The sign on letter specifically urges the removal of Florida Gulf Coast areas from the National Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Lease Plan. Our goal is to have 100 local officials to sign on in the next few weeks and then share it directly with the Trump Administration,” Evans said.

He said on Oct. 2, Florida Sens. Rick Scott and Ashley Moody introduced a bill to maintain military readiness in the Gulf of America.

“This initiative would build on that legislation and request to remove all areas of Florida’s Gulf Coast including the imperative of the proposed area of the Gulf of America program area B from consideration in the Marine Mineral Administration Proposed National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program,” Evans said. “City Council has had a long history of opposing actual oil drilling in the Gulf and we are asking for your support now to remove the Florida Gulf Coast areas from the leasing plan.”

Oceana Florida Field representative Solemi Hernandez said currently the government is developing a five-year program that will determine which area will be considered for future oil and gas.

“Our economy is our environment,” she said. “We know what is at stake. Offshore drilling, oil spill, can have a devastating and longstanding consequences, even if they don’t reach our coast.”

Hernandez said the opposition is overwhelming as 54 state and local officials have already signed the letter. She encouraged the council to each add their name to help send a clear message that the “Florida Gulf Coast is too valuable.”

Council shared that they would like to add themselves individually to the letter, as well as a body to provide support.