# 119-hr-6068: PROTECT Florida Act

119-hr-6068, PROTECT Florida Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Rutherford, John H. [R-FL-5] (R-FL); status introduced (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6068
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-6068
- Congress: 119
- Title: PROTECT Florida Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-11-17
- Sponsor: Rep. Rutherford, John H. [R-FL-5] (R-FL)
- Cosponsors: 16
- Policy area: Energy
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Imposes a moratorium on offshore oil and gas leasing and exploration off Florida through June 30, 2032.** This bill would extend the Gulf Coast moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act and add an Atlantic Coast moratorium that bars leasing, preleasing, related activities including seismic testing, and exploration permits in the Straits of Florida and in parts of the South Atlantic Planning Area south of Florida's northernmost seaward boundary. - Coastal communities and tourism: Keeps new offshore lease sales and seismic testing out of nearby waters through June 30, 2032, aiming to protect beaches, recreation, and local coastal economies. - Oil and gas companies: Removes near-term federal leasing and exploration options in the named planning areas, blocking lease offers, preleasing, and exploration permits there until 2032. - Federal leasing authority: Would amend the Gulf moratorium in GOMESA and add a new subsection to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act that prevents the Secretary of the Interior from offering leases or issuing exploration permits in the specified areas until June 30, 2032.

## Cosponsors (16)

- Rep. Patronis, Jimmy [R-FL-1] (R-FL), 2025-11-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Diaz-Balart, Mario [R-FL-26] (R-FL), 2025-11-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gimenez, Carlos A. [R-FL-28] (R-FL), 2025-11-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Webster, Daniel [R-FL-11] (R-FL), 2025-11-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Frankel, Lois [D-FL-22] (D-FL), 2025-11-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bilirakis, Gus M. [R-FL-12] (R-FL), 2025-11-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Donalds, Byron [R-FL-19] (R-FL), 2025-11-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Salazar, Maria Elvira [R-FL-27] (R-FL), 2025-11-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Luna, Anna Paulina [R-FL-13] (R-FL), 2025-11-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Haridopolos, Mike [R-FL-8] (R-FL), 2025-11-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Franklin, Scott [R-FL-18] (R-FL), 2025-11-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9] (D-FL), 2025-11-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lee, Laurel M. [R-FL-15] (R-FL), 2025-11-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Dunn, Neal P. [R-FL-2] (R-FL), 2025-11-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Buchanan, Vern [R-FL-16] (R-FL), 2025-11-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moskowitz, Jared [D-FL-23] (D-FL), 2025-11-18T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Offshore drilling freeze near Florida to 2032: mixed, medium. This bill would block new federal oil and gas leasing, preleasing, seismic testing, and exploration permits off Florida. It would extend the Gulf moratorium and add a ban on exploration permits through June 30, 2032. It would also create a moratorium for the Straits of Florida and South Atlantic wa…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-9094: Florida Freeze Disaster Assistance Act of 2026
- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-hr-933: Defending Domestic Orange Juice Production Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1628: 761st Tank Battalion Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-6068 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6068)

## Related
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-9094: Florida Freeze Disaster Assistance Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9094)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-933: Defending Domestic Orange Juice Production Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-933)
- [119-hr-1628: 761st Tank Battalion Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1628)
- [119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1422)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6068 (as of 2026-04-21).