Legislation to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America advanced through the Florida House State Affairs Committee on Thursday, positioning the measures for consideration on the House floor.

The bills, HB 575 and HB 549, would require all references to the Gulf of Mexico in state statutes, official documents, and educational materials to reflect the new designation, aligning Florida law with a federal directive issued by President Donald Trump earlier this year.

HB 575, sponsored by Rep. Tyler Sirois, seeks to formalize the renaming by amending Florida’s statutory language, requiring state agencies to update geographic records, official maps, and legal descriptions accordingly.

A related measure, HB 549, sponsored by Rep. Juan Carlos Porras, mandates that all instructional materials and library media center collections adopted by Florida’s public schools and charter schools after July 1, 2025, reflect the Gulf of America designation. The legislation does not require the immediate replacement of existing materials but ensures that future adoptions align with the updated terminology.

The legislative effort follows Executive Order 14172, signed by President Donald Trump in January, which directed federal agencies to implement the name change. The same executive action also reinstated Mount McKinley as the official name of the peak previously designated as Denali.

State agencies in Florida have already begun implementing the changes, according to a legislative analysis, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Department of Environmental Protection previously announcing plans to revise agency materials, signage, and public communications to reflect the updated designation.