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FACT CHECK: David Jolly Fought Against Offshore Drilling in Congress & Never Lobbied for It

In response to a new and outright false ad by Byron Donalds, the Jolly-Graham campaign is laying out the facts on the offshore drilling records of David Jolly and Byron Donalds: Jolly fought drilling in Congress, never lobbied for it, and Donalds voted to expand it.

Commentary · by David Jolly for Governor ·

PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL (September 28, 2026) – In response to a new and outright false ad by Byron Donalds, the Jolly-Graham campaign is laying out the facts on the offshore drilling records of David Jolly and Byron Donalds.

Throughout Rep. Jolly’s career, he has been consistent: no drilling in Florida’s Gulf. He’s always believed we need to protect our environment, water, and air for generations of Floridians to come, and that drilling doesn’t belong in Florida’s economy.

On the other hand, Byron Donalds is the only one who’s actually used his vote in Congress to expand offshore drilling. And, today, he’s willing and ready to sell off Florida’s “pristine” land to the data center developers pouring millions of dollars into his campaign.

GET THE FACTS BELOW

  1. While in Congress, David Jolly repeatedly fought against offshore drilling.
    • In June 2015, Jolly introduced legislation to expand the ban on drilling in the Eastern Gulf. The bipartisan bill was co-sponsored by then-U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham.
    • In July 2015, Jolly introduced an amendment to Interior Appropriations, stopping a Senate plan that would have potentially expanded drilling off Florida’s Gulf coast.
    • In 2014, Jolly voiced opposition to expanded exploration off Florida’s Atlantic coast using sound waves.
      • “I have significant concerns about this decision and this methodology and it simply reinforces my strong opposition to expanded exploration in the eastern Gulf, including any future use of this technology in our waters,” he said at the time.
  2. The claim that Jolly lobbied for offshore drilling was debunked a decade ago.
    • In a 2016 Politifact article, the outlet rated claims that Jolly had used money and power to drill off Florida’s beaches as “mostly false.”
    • The article makes abundantly clear that David Jolly never lobbied on behalf of a bill that, in part, would expand offshore drilling.
  3. It is Byron Donalds who has, in fact, failed to protect against offshore drilling.
    • Donalds voted for, and then bragged about, a bill that in his own words, was aimed at “eliminating restrictions on drilling and energy exports.”
  4. Donalds’ claimed desire to protect Florida carries little weight in light of his current eagerness to welcome hyperscale data center developers.