Florida is moving quickly to adopt a name change for the Gulf under the leadership of President Donald Trump, and U.S. 41 could be the first major roadway in line for a permanent name change in response.
State Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, filed a bill for consideration during the legislative session beginning next week that would rename a stretch of U.S. 41 commonly known as Tamiami Trail to “Gulf of America Trail” — following suit with directives from the White House to adopt the name “Gulf of America” nationwide.
Named for the Florida cities it was built to connect, Tamiami Trail runs from Tampa to Miami. It opened in 1928 and served as the main thoroughfare between the two major metros until construction of Interstate 75 decades later.
“There is a lot of love for the president in Southwest Florida specifically, and that stretch of Tamiami Trail from Tampa all the way through Collier is Trump country,” Gruters told the Herald-Tribune. “There is no better way to show him our appreciation and love for our home-state president than naming one of the larger roadways after the Gulf of America.”
The bill would also require that state agencies, county school districts and charter school boards to use teaching materials that reflect the name “Gulf of America.” State Rep. Juan Carlos Porras, R-Miami, filed a similar bill last week in the Florida House.
Florida moves swiftly to adopt the “Gulf of America” name change
The bill was filed as a growing number of high-profile state officials call for expedited efforts to implement the Gulf of America name change. Trump signed an executive order adopting the name change on Jan. 20 during his first day back in office.
Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-Indian Rocks Beach, and House Majority Leader Tyler Sirois, R-Merritt Island, have filed bills that would change references in state laws from Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America.
“The bill that I filed is very simple, any mention in Florida statute that says the words ‘Gulf of Mexico’ will simply change to Gulf of America,” DiCeglie said. “It’s a body of water that drives our tourism here in Pinellas County, and that goes for the entire west coast of Florida. We have beautiful beaches, and people come here from all over the world, and a simple name change to Gulf of America I think really celebrates that.
“I think it’s fun. I think it’s appropriate. I think it’s patriotic,” he said.
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson also recently directed the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to enshrine the “Gulf of America” name change in all department rules, documents and maps.
Simpson, who is believed to have eyes set on a run for Florida governor after Gov. Ron DeSantis is termed out, said the Gulf has been of vital importance to the nation’s economy, history and culture for generations and he supports Trumps efforts to stamp America’s name on it.
“To me it’s a pretty simple process,” Simpson said. “The President entered an executive order to change the name to Gulf of America, and it’s incumbent upon us to make sure it’s reflecting properly for all time.
“When, I believe it was Buffalo Avenue in downtown Tampa, turned into Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. (in 1989) we all changed our letterheads, we all changed our addresses to reflect that change,” Simpson said. “I see the Gulf of America as the same exact thing. This is what it is today, and our records are going to reflect that it’s the Gulf of America. Not the Gulf of Mexico.”
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Publish date : 2025-02-25 07:26:00
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