Gov. DeSantis signs bills to rename Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed two bills into law that rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

House Bill 575, sponsored by Sen. Nick DiCeglie (R-Indian Rocks Beach), requires all state documents, maps and references to reflect Gulf of America.

House Bill 549, sponsored by Sen. Joe Gruters (R-Sarasota), requires state agencies and district school boards to change or update Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America on educational or instructional materials. Those materials must reflect the new name by July 1.

A statement about the legislation claims the renaming from Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America is "reinforcing Florida’s leadership along the Gulf Coast and setting a precedent for neighboring states to follow."

The legislation is a result of President Trump's January executive order requiring the change. That same month, Gov. DeSantis quickly implemented the change, using Gulf of America in an emergency winter storm order for North Florida.

In February, Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum said they plan to sue Google over the name change.