Oil Drilling in Florida

By Joe Marzo

The Forgotten Frontier: The History of Oil Exploration in Florida

When most Americans think of oil, images of Texas derricks, Gulf Coast refineries, or Middle Eastern deserts come to mind. Rarely does Florida—known for its beaches, oranges, and retirees—enter the conversation. But hidden beneath its swamps, prairies, and seabeds is a long, strange tale of oil exploration that’s largely forgotten in the public imagination.

The Early Whispers of Black Gold

Florida's first brushes with oil exploration date back to the early 20th century. Geologists had long speculated that Florida’s vast limestone formations might harbor oil deposits, especially given the state’s proximity to other oil-rich regions along the Gulf. But early drilling efforts were clumsy, speculative, and ultimately unproductive.

Dozens of wildcatters—independent drillers hoping to strike it rich—sank test wells in the Panhandle, Central Florida, and even near the coasts. Most met with disappointment.

Among the most notable failures was automotive pioneer Ransom Eli Olds, who purchased land in northern Pinellas County in the early 1900s. Hoping to develop his dream community of Oldsmar, Olds financed a drilling operation in the 1910s and 1920s, convinced oil lay beneath the bayfront land. Instead, he struck only water and frustration.

He wasn’t alone. Companies like the Sunshine State Oil and Gas Company, the Florida Oil Discovery Company, and others raised capital and dug deep across the state—from Ocala to Perry to Sarasota. Some wells reached 3,000 feet deep or more. Every one of them came up dry.

The Breakthrough in Big Cypress

That changed in 1943, when Humble Oil (later part of Exxon) drilled into the Big Cypress swamp in Collier County. At a depth of over 11,000 feet, they struck Florida’s first commercially viable oil deposit—the Sunniland Field.

Though modest compared to Texas or Louisiana, the field produced sweet crude oil and kicked off the Sunniland Trend, a geologic formation stretching beneath southern Florida. It led to decades of small-scale oil production in remote areas between Naples and Immokalee, often deep within swampland accessible only by wooden planks and fan boats.

Jay Field and the Peak of Production

Florida’s biggest oil success came in 1970 with the discovery of the Jay Field in Santa Rosa County near the Alabama border. Exxon geologists tapped into a massive reservoir, eventually producing over 300 million barrels—by far the most from any single site in the state.

Jay Field’s discovery reinvigorated interest in Florida oil, but hopes of a wider boom proved short-lived. Outside the Sunniland Trend and Jay Field, Florida continued to offer far more dry holes than black gold.

Offshore Drilling: A Battle Below the Surface

Even before Florida struck oil on land, eyes were already turning offshore. The Gulf of Mexico was booming with oil activity, and companies hoped Florida’s offshore waters would deliver the same riches.

The key distinction was jurisdiction: Florida controls waters 3 miles from its Atlantic shore and 9 miles into the Gulf. Beyond that lies federal territory. Throughout the 1950s to 1970s, proposals surfaced to drill off the coast of Pensacola, Tampa Bay, and even the Florida Keys.

But the state’s booming tourism industry, coupled with its fragile marine ecosystems, made offshore drilling highly controversial. The 1979 Ixtoc I disaster off the coast of Mexico—one of the largest oil spills in history—deeply alarmed Floridians. Then came Deepwater Horizon in 2010, further cementing public opposition.

Florida enacted a ban on drilling in state waters in 1981, and voters doubled down in 2018, passing a constitutional amendment banning oil and gas exploration within state-controlled marine zones. Meanwhile, a federal moratorium on offshore leasing in parts of the eastern Gulf continues—but it's not permanent, and each new administration reopens the debate.

Oil companies have never stopped watching. With Florida’s offshore shelf considered geologically promising, the possibility of future drilling continues to loom, pitting energy interests against environmental and tourism advocates in a decades-long standoff.

Environmental Resistance and a Changing Era

With public resistance growing and environmental awareness rising, oil’s future in Florida became murky. Proposals to drill in Broward County and in lands bordering the Everglades sparked fierce opposition. Lawsuits, protests, and policy reversals became part of the new norm.

Today, Florida’s production has dwindled to just a few thousand barrels a day. The infrastructure remains, but the appetite has shifted. Coastal tourism, wildlife protection, and climate concerns now dominate the conversation.

The Final Verdict: A Resource Not Worth the Risk?

Florida’s oil story is a tale of early ambition, spectacular failure, and hard-won environmental victories. Florida’s fragile ecosystems and economy—built on clean water, beaches, and biodiversity—have kept the oil industry at bay.

In a world racing toward renewable energy and climate adaptation, Florida’s oil reserves may remain forever buried beneath the limestone and waves—unexploited, and perhaps, for once, better left that way.

Sources:

• Florida Geological Survey Bulletin No. 69 (Florida Department of Environmental Protection)

• U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) – Florida State Energy Profile

• “The Oil That Wasn’t” – St. Petersburg Times, 1986

• Oldsmar Historical Society Archives

• National Parks Conservation Association Reports

• “Deepwater Horizon’s Impact on Florida Policy” – Miami Herald, 2011

• Bureau of Ocean Energy Management – Gulf of Mexico Leasing History

• Tampa Bay Times, “Florida Voters Approve Offshore Drilling Ban,” 2018