Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) referred to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” in an executive order on Monday addressing a winter weather weather system moving into parts of the Sunshine State this week.
“WHEREAS, an area of low pressure moving across the Gulf of America, interacting with Arctic air, will bring widespread impactful winter weather to North Florida beginning Tuesday, January 21, 2025,” the DeSantis order states.
The move came hours after President Trump pledged to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America during his inaugural address, reupping a proposal he floated during a wide-ranging press conference earlier this month at his Palm Beach resort.
“A short time from now, we are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the ‘Gulf of America,’ and we will restore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to ‘Mount McKinley,’ where it should be and where it belongs,” Trump said shortly after being sworn in.
DeSantis was in Washington on Monday for the inauguration.
The governor has signaled an eagerness to use his position as governor to implement Trump’s agenda. Last week DeSantis called for a special legislative session in Florida in an effort to aid the administration in enacting Trump’s immigration agenda.
