The Florida House of Representatives passed a bill 78-29 on Thursday that would mandate state agencies, school boards, and charter schools to update geographic and instructional materials from the “Gulf of Mexico” to the "Gulf of America."
Rep. Juan Porras (R-Miami) sponsored the bill (HB 549) in the House. Rep. Porras explained his bill to the chamber floor.
"This bill conforms the state's geographic materials and the academic standards to the new federal designation for the former Gulf of Mexico to the new Gulf of America. The purpose of this bill is to ensure that Florida remains in line with the direction of the federal government and applies to the new executive and the Department of the Interior," Porras said.
Notably, HB 549 would not be applied to private schools.
Minutes before HB 549 was discussed, the House passed a bill requiring all State Statutes to recognize Gulf of America from the former Gulf of Mexico to align with federal law.
Rep. Ashley Gantt (D-Miami) asked Porras if his bill allowed for any fiscal support for the proposed changes.
Porras indicated there would be no fiscal impact from the bill. He also said in response to Gantt that he was only concerned that publishers made the necessary changes to in-state books.
"This bill only addresses schools and students in Florida, and I think as representatives of our state, I'm not entirely mind what the publishers do in other states. All I care about is our students here in Florida and making sure they have the right names for our bodies of water," Porras said.
In addition, Porras said he didn't believe publishers would make the books more expensive based on Florida's decision.
"There's no reason why they can't update that to have the correct name change that is recognized by the federal government," Porras said.
Sen. Joe Gruters (R-Sarasota) is carrying the Senate version of the bill (SB 1058). The bill is on the chamber floor awaiting consideration.
If passed, Florida would be the first state to formally codify the Gulf of America name change in state textbooks.
"Let's make the gulf great again," Porras said in closing.
If passed by the Senate, HB 549/SB 1058 would take effect on July 1 once signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis into law.
