Editorial: Trump gives Florida election year gift

OUR POSITION: President Donald Trump left Florida Tuesday but not before he presented an election-year gift to the state in the form of an extended moratorium on oil and gas drilling off our coasts.

If anyone had doubts how important and contentious the Nov. 3 election is, they got a lesson Monday.

President Donald Trump, who takes great pride in making America "energy independent," broke from his normal gung-ho approach to oil and gas exploration during a campaign trip to Palm Beach County. The president used the occasion to sign a presidential order that extends and expands a ban on drilling off the state's coastline.

It was, by all accounts, unexpected. But it surely was appreciated.

The president has been under siege by his own party members as Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rick Scott (R-FL) and Governor Ron DeSantis have lobbied against rumored plans to open up the Gulf and the Atlantic to more drilling.

The idea of more oil rigs off our shores, especially in the Gulf which acts as its own hurricane magnet, turns off Floridians. It is the one topic that sparks a bipartisan groundswell of opposition.

Any lack of concern over drilling in the Gulf was wiped away April 20, 2010 when the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill claimed lives and saw 210 million gallons of oil gush into the Gulf of Mexico. It was considered one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.

It took months to cap that well, allowing the oil to spread as far south as Tampa Bay. The impact on fish, beaches and wetlands was enormous. BP, operator of the well, was fined $18.7 billion total. The money was distributed to states, counties and municipalities from Louisiana all the way down to Charlotte County even.

That is a disaster no one in Florida — or Louisiana — will ever forget. And, it's a big reason why Republicans and Democrats can agree on a ban to drilling off Florida's coast.

Trump is well aware of that, and he is also well aware of the need to carry Florida in the Nov. 3 election. So, while the timing was a surprise, we are not shocked at his move to extend the moratorium.

The president, constantly embattled and criticized for his failure to protect the environment (criticism that includes opposition to opening up Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling), made a rare gesture to environmentalists and his fellow Floridians.

The order extends the moratorium prohibiting drilling in federal waters off the Gulf Coast until 2032. The order will also include the Atlantic coast, Georgia and South Carolina.

Trump's decision — which everyone must realize can be reversed anytime he wishes — comes after controversy over claims in June by Politico that his administration planned to expand drilling in Florida after the Nov. 3 election.

The president announced another move recently to placate Florida's representatives in Congress, and voters, when he included $250 million for the Everglades restoration project in the 2021 budget.

Even after Trump's announcement Tuesday, he drew criticism for his climate change denial stance. Susan Glickman, Florida director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, made note that the president has rolled back more than 100 environmental laws and regulations during his time in office, including standards to make power plants more efficient.

Still, we would be remiss to not tip our hat to the president.