Louisiana and Florida Advance Gulf Renaming Efforts

Both Louisiana and Florida are making legislative moves to align with President Donald Trump's executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. Louisiana's state board of education voted to integrate the new name into fourth and fifth-grade social studies standards, although schools aren't required to update existing textbooks immediately. In Florida, Republican-controlled panels have approved bills to remove the Gulf of Mexico's name from state laws and educational materials, with proponents describing the change as 'patriotic'. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has already begun implementing the name change in its documentation. However, the name change has sparked controversy, with some lawmakers and citizens arguing that it distracts from pressing state issues such as insurance and affordable housing. Critics view the renaming as part of a broader political agenda focused on Trump's 'America First' ethos.