Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed two bills aimed at carrying out President Donald Trump’s directive to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, according to the Florida Senate.
One of the bills (HB 575) will change dozens of state laws to reflect the name change, while the other (HB 549) will require state agencies to update “geographic materials” to reflect the change.
Also, it will require that school instructional materials adopted or purchased as of July 1 include the Gulf of America name.
The Republican-controlled Senate passed the bills last week, after they had been approved by the House. The Senate issued a news release early Monday evening, with Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-Indian Rocks Beach, saying he joined DeSantis to see the bills signed.
“Florida is proud to follow the leadership of President Trump as the first state to officially recognize the Gulf of America,” DiCeglie, who sponsored one of the bills in the Senate, said in a prepared statement.
“American exceptionalism isn’t an abstract idea, it is an absolute fact that we must recognize and celebrate. In Florida, we will always put America first.”
