Gov. Ron DeSantis says he’s confident Trump will protect Florida from offshore oil drilling

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday he is confident that President Donald Trump will protect Florida from offshore oil drilling — despite a White House threat to veto legislation that would ban drilling off the state’s Gulf Coast.

“He’s told me he’s with us,” DeSantis said in Dania Beach after he and business leaders announced additional private sector relief efforts for people in the Bahamas suffering from the impact of Hurricane Dorian.

DeSantis is a strong supporter of the president — and Trump is a strong supporter of the governor.

DeSantis is has also fashioned himself as an environmental champion and conservationist in the mold of Teddy Roosevelt.

He said he’s spoken with Trump about the opposition from Floridians to offshore drilling.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed a measure to permanently ban offshore drilling in off Florida’s Gulf Coast, a measure that had support of 26 of Florida’s 27 representatives. Only U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Gainesville, voted against the measure.

Multiple news organizations in Washington, D.C., said the White House threatened a veto if the legislation should make it to the president’s desk.

DeSantis said he doesn’t want offshore drilling near Florida. “We should have the ban around Florida, for sure.”

He said he’s conveyed that message to the president, who has been receptive to Florida’s concerns. The administration has advocate for offshore drilling and Trump is a proponent of increased U.S. production of fossil fuels.

“I’ve urged him to make sure that Florida is protected from that. … We’re just a different state in terms of how we’re situated. He understands that and every indication I’ve ever had with him is that he will support having Florida taken care of in that respect,” he said. “I think he understands the kind of direction our state goes, what our lifeblood is, and so I’ve not really had any concerns, any time talking with him, that somehow they would try to do anything with respect to oil drilling in Florida.”

The prospect of a veto might not have much impact anyway; the legislation isn’t seen as likely to advance in the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate.

The Protecting and Securing Florida’s Coastline Act of 2019 passed 248–180. It would prohibit oil and gas leases in the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico, off the Florida coast. It would permanently extend a temporary ban on Gulf Coast drilling set to expire in 2022. The measure was sponsored by U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Naples.

Florida elected officials of both parties, and most of the state’s voters, have generally opposed offshore drilling, citing the potential threats to the state’s tourism industry from accidents and oil spills.

“Drilling off the coast of Florida puts our economy, environment and marine life at risk, and it won’t be tolerated!” U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Palm City, wrote on Twitter after the legislation passed. U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, tweeted that “Florida’s ecological diversity and economy must never be put at risk by dirty, dangerous drilling activities.”

A Quinnipiac University Poll in March found 64 percent of Florida voters opposed drilling in the ocean off the coasts, with 29% supporting it. Among all political, gender, education, age and racial groups, all were opposed except Florida Republicans, who supported offshore drilling, 54% to 38%.

Anthony Man can be reached at aman@sunsentinel.com or on Twitter @browardpolitics