Florida has officially adopted the term "Gulf of America" in a significant move that marks the first state-level acknowledgment of President Donald Trump's directive to rename the Gulf of Mexico. Governor Ron DeSantis employed this new terminology in an emergency declaration on Monday, coinciding with a forecasted winter storm expected to impact northern parts of the state.

The emergency declaration stated, “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,” as reported by The Hill.

Trump's proposal, mentioned during his inauguration, aims to maintain names that “honor American greatness” and emphasizes the Gulf's significance to the U.S. economy. The president stated, “America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on earth,” while pledging to execute this rebranding during his administration's early days. Following Trump’s announcement, DeSantis demonstrated his support for this agenda by referencing the Gulf under its new name in official capacities.

The acknowledgement by Florida precedes any formal legislative action that would be necessary for the name change to gain broader recognition by federal agencies or the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. Trump’s executive order directs the secretary of the interior to start updating federal records and maps to include the name change within thirty days, as noted in a report by Newsweek.

Additionally, Trump's executive measures entail reverting the name of North America’s tallest mountain from Denali back to ‘Mount McKinley’—a move reflective of the administration's commitment to honoring historical figures and names significant to American pride.

The public's reaction remains mixed, with some political figures embracing the change while others express skepticism and criticism. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for example, was noted to have laughed during Trump's announcement at the inauguration.