In addition to removing sidewalk art due to a new statewide mandate that claims the art is distracting and unsafe for motorists (despite evidence to the contrary), the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has begun removing signs bearing the name “Gulf of Mexico Drive” along State Road 789.

Known locally as Gulf of Mexico Drive, it runs the length of Longboat Key and connects St. Armands and Lido keys in Sarasota to Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island. FDOT is removing “Gulf of Mexico” references only along the Longboat Key portion of the route, since that's the segment where the state signs display the local road name.

The road’s local name remains legally unchanged for now, and addresses, mail delivery, and emergency services continue to use it. The Town of Longboat Key Commission is scheduled to take up the issue at a workshop on Oct. 20, where a cost analysis and public input will inform whether the road should be formally renamed.

The sign removals follow legislation signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in April. House Bill 575 requires state statutes to adopt the term “Gulf of America,” and House Bill 549 directs state agencies and schools to update maps, signs and educational materials. Both measures were written in response to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Jan. 20 of this year, instructing federal agencies to replace “Gulf of Mexico” with “Gulf of America.” Federal geographic naming databases were updated shortly thereafter.

Major mapping platforms quickly followed the federal lead. Google, Apple and Microsoft updated their services so that U.S. users now see “Gulf of America,” users in Mexico see “Gulf of Mexico,” and international users see both names together. Mexico’s government objected strongly, with President Claudia Sheinbaum announcing in May that the country had filed a lawsuit against Google, arguing the change improperly extended to waters beyond U.S. jurisdiction.

Public opinion surveys have shown resistance to the new name. A Marquette University poll earlier this year found that 71 percent of Americans opposed the change, including 58 percent of Floridians. Some U.S. news organizations, including the Associated Press, The New York Times, and Reuters, continue to use “Gulf of Mexico,” sometimes noting the federal designation parenthetically in line with Associated Press style guidance.

Internationally, the name remains unchanged. The International Hydrographic Organization continues to recognize “Gulf of Mexico,” a label that has appeared on maps since the 16th century.

For Longboat Key, home to roughly 7,000 permanent residents, the practical questions are, literally, closer to home. If the town commission votes to rename Gulf of Mexico Drive, residents and businesses will eventually need to update addresses and documents, though postal and emergency systems would recognize both names during a transition. If the commission declines, the road will retain its longstanding name locally, even as state and federal agencies apply a different one.

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