The Senate Fiscal Policy Committee has cleared a measure (SB 608) to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, which would align the name with President Donald Trump’s executive order doing the same.

Already, Google Maps and Apple Maps have reflected the name change for U.S. users, while users in other countries see both names 

“By renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, we are putting America first and honoring American greatness,” said Sen. Nick DiCeglie, the bill’s sponsor. “In communities up and down Florida’s Gulf Coast, we are incredibly prideful to say that we live in a paradise along the coast of the Gulf of America.”

The bill would change 92 statutory references in Florida law to refer to the body of water along Florida’s west coast as the Gulf of America. It cleared its first committee stop, Community Affairs, in mid-March.

An identical House version (HB 575) from Rep. Tyler Sirois is on the House special order calendar for Thursday after clearing two committees.

The legislation would comply with Trump’s Executive Order 14172, called “Restoring Names that Honor American Greatness.”

Trump ordered the federal government to “take all appropriate actions to rename as the ‘Gulf of America’ the U.S. Continental Shelf area bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the State of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida and extending to the seaward boundary with Mexico and Cuba in the area formerly named as the Gulf of Mexico.”

DiCeglie’s bill references the President’s directive, which says the move recognizes the “importance of the body of water to the United States.” Senate leadership is on board.

“American exceptionalism matters, and it’s important that we recognize the fact that America is the greatest country in the history of the world,” Senate President Ben Albritton said. “As patriots, we have a duty to honor our country’s greatness, and I am so thankful that President Trump has highlighted what is a fantastic opportunity to do just that and recognize the Gulf of America.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis already pushed the new name in an executive order (EO 25-13) as last month’s Winter storm approached the state.

The name change became official nationally in early February as Trump declared Feb. 9 “Gulf of America Day.”

If passed, the changes to Florida law would take effect July 1.

Sen. Joe Gruters is carrying a bill (SB 1058) in the upper chamber that would implement the name change in Florida public schools, requiring School Boards to “adopt and acquire” materials using the new name to “honor American greatness.”

It is awaiting second reading in the Senate.

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March home sales saw yet another slide in the South Florida market, with some counties seeing around 50% drop from a year ago.

It’s now been three straight months that single-family housing sales have plunged for Miami-Dade and Broward counties, according to the Elliman Report. Palm Beach County managed to avoid a drop in home sales in March, but just barely.

Broward was hit the worst in March. Closed signed contracts dropped 54.4% compared to March 2024. That’s a total of 217 home sales last month, down from 476 houses sold last year. The March figure was the exact same number as homes sold in February.

Home sales were nearly as ugly in Miami-Dade County. That county saw 513 signed contracts for single-family house sales, down from the 993 sales for the same time last year, or a 48.3% decline. Home sales were also down from the February’s mark of 522.

Palm Beach County didn’t see as dramatic a drop as those witnessed in Broward or Miami-Dade. But the market was by no means robust. There were 412 signed contracts for home closings in Palm Beach, up slightly from last year’s figure of 409 homes sold, or a 0.7% increase.

While the year-over-year comparison offered some glimmer of optimism, the monthly measure was not so uplifting. There were 438 homes sold in Palm Beach in February, marking a 6% drop month to month.

While the single-family home sales market is shaky in South Florida, the condo market is outright dire.

All three counties reported steep declines in March. The declines in condo sales were more profound than the single-family home market and reflect a prolonged slump, with Broward County turning in the worst performance. Condo sales plunged 67.8% year over year in March, dropping from 577 last year to 187.

Miami-Dade was nearly as bad, with a 65.8% plunge, going from 1,163 closings last year to 398.

Palm Beach County couldn’t avoid the negative side of the ledger, either. There was a 35.8% decline in condo sales in March, plummeting from 460 closings a year ago to 289.

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