Pensacola Beach sign updated to “Gulf of America” as part of Florida rebranding
By Christina Andrews
May 8, 2025 at 6:53 PM CDT
The iconic Pensacola Beach welcome sign, a fixture since the early 1960s, has been updated to reflect a new name for the body of water it faces, swapping out “Gulf of Mexico” for “Gulf of America.”
Escambia County officials confirmed the change was made last month to comply with Executive Order 14172 issued by President Donald Trump. It required all federal agencies and their partners to adopt the new term in official documents, maps and signage.
The executive order, known as “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness” included directives 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.”
Last month, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two bills carrying out Trump’s executive order. One bill updates dozens of state statutes, while another mandates all state agencies and schools use “Gulf of America” in official materials and textbooks purchased after July 1. Florida was the first state to take this action.
Now a federal law
On Thursday, May 8, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 276, the “Gulf of America Act,” introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. It codified Executive Order 14172 into law, making it more difficult for a subsequent administration to undo the change without new legislation. The act passed the House by a vote of 211-206, with all Democrats and one Republican voting against it.
Congressman Jimmy Patronis, representing Florida’s 1st Congressional District, posted on “X” that the “naming will provide the region with tremendous economic growth.”
https://x.com/JimmyPatronis/status/1920490387514208470
Implementation in Escambia County
The Pensacola Beach sign update cost $2,600. During a recent Escambia County Commission meeting, Chair Mike Kohler addressed concerns about the change.
“There are a few people that are upset, but I think we need to get some clarity out there. There is a presidential order and a governor's order to change the Gulf to the Gulf of America,” Kohler said.
Kohler also said he met with County Administrator Wes Moreno before the change, stating, “This board had given him the authority to spend up to $50,000. Administrator Moreno did what was expected as an executive order and went out and did what I asked him to do.”
The sign’s patriotic design was chosen from three options presented by Moreno, with District 4 Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger, who represents Pensacola Beach, making the final selection.
“He brought three options, and we selected one of those three,” Hofberger said at a recent commission meeting.
Kohler praised the update at the meeting, saying, “It was a small change, but with a big impact for our community.”
Online backlash
According to reporting from Newsweek, the overall sentiment online leans toward skepticism and ridicule, with widespread uncertainty about whether the new name will gain lasting acceptance. Locally, opponents have criticized the change as a politically motivated gesture that alters a well-established regional name.
While many Pensacola Beach clothing and souvenir shops have long sold patriotic-themed items, the renaming of the Gulf has led some to offer products featuring the new name. Wes Dannreuther, owner of Intracoastal Outfitters, a clothing retailer on Pensacola Beach, described the demand for “Gulf of America” merchandise as “definitely something new since for most of us, it’s always been the Gulf of Mexico.” Currently, his shop only carries a Blue Angel t-shirt featuring the name change, but “it’s nowhere near as popular as our normal Blue Angel tees,” Dannreuther said.
Christian Wagley, coastal organizer with Healthy Gulf, said that the renaming is a “distraction from the real issues facing the region, which include massive air and water pollution from the fossil fuel industry,” he said.
“President Trump is moving to increase that pollution by revoking a permanent ban on offshore drilling off Florida that was issued by President Biden, and to greatly expand offshore drilling across the central and western Gulf. More drilling in the Gulf will bring more air and water pollution to coastal residents, threaten our beaches with another BP-type spill, and harm iconic animals like sea turtles and whales.”
Healthy Gulf issued a statement criticizing the name change as a “symbolic gesture” that fails to address real challenges, emphasizing that the region is “more than a name” and reaffirming that the organization’s priority is protecting the Gulf’s environment and communities.
Drone images of people writing "Gulf of Mexico" in the sand on Pensacola Beach (694x661, AR: 1.0499243570347958)
While flying a drone over Pensacola Beach, Sean Mullins, founder of the media platform Pensacola Vibes, captured a silent protest etched in the sand: “Gulf of Mexico,” with an arrow pointing toward the water.
“I was flying my drone about 400 feet from the people in the sand and didn’t notice it until I was about 250 feet above the ground,” he said “Personally, I’m not a fan of the change, but I don’t think I’m as frustrated as a lot of other people are.”
Mullins did express concern over the lack of public input, saying, “The thing that frustrates me the most is that it was never a topic of discussion and the name was changed out of the blue.”
He also questioned the motivation behind the decision, noting, “It doesn’t make you more American to want the Gulf to be called ‘Gulf of America’ and it doesn’t make you less of an American to want it to be called ‘Gulf of Mexico.’”
Calling the change “more so American propaganda and not American patriotism,” he emphasized that the spirit of the community remains unchanged.
“From Florida to Texas, we will always just call it ‘The Gulf,’” Mullins said.
A landmark in transition
Despite the backlash, the Pensacola Beach sign is the first of several expected updates. Florida officials say the renaming efforts will continue, with changes rolling out across state-issued maps, materials, and textbooks.
Legal teams are reviewing municipal and county ordinances to ensure statewide consistency with the new naming policy, with similar measures advancing in other Gulf states.
Escambia County officials confirmed the change was made last month to comply with Executive Order 14172 issued by President Donald Trump. It required all federal agencies and their partners to adopt the new term in official documents, maps and signage.
The executive order, known as “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness” included directives 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.”
Last month, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two bills carrying out Trump’s executive order. One bill updates dozens of state statutes, while another mandates all state agencies and schools use “Gulf of America” in official materials and textbooks purchased after July 1. Florida was the first state to take this action.
Now a federal law
On Thursday, May 8, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 276, the “Gulf of America Act,” introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. It codified Executive Order 14172 into law, making it more difficult for a subsequent administration to undo the change without new legislation. The act passed the House by a vote of 211-206, with all Democrats and one Republican voting against it.
Congressman Jimmy Patronis, representing Florida’s 1st Congressional District, posted on “X” that the “naming will provide the region with tremendous economic growth.”
https://x.com/JimmyPatronis/status/1920490387514208470
Implementation in Escambia County
The Pensacola Beach sign update cost $2,600. During a recent Escambia County Commission meeting, Chair Mike Kohler addressed concerns about the change.
“There are a few people that are upset, but I think we need to get some clarity out there. There is a presidential order and a governor's order to change the Gulf to the Gulf of America,” Kohler said.
Kohler also said he met with County Administrator Wes Moreno before the change, stating, “This board had given him the authority to spend up to $50,000. Administrator Moreno did what was expected as an executive order and went out and did what I asked him to do.”
The sign’s patriotic design was chosen from three options presented by Moreno, with District 4 Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger, who represents Pensacola Beach, making the final selection.
“He brought three options, and we selected one of those three,” Hofberger said at a recent commission meeting.
Kohler praised the update at the meeting, saying, “It was a small change, but with a big impact for our community.”
Online backlash
According to reporting from Newsweek, the overall sentiment online leans toward skepticism and ridicule, with widespread uncertainty about whether the new name will gain lasting acceptance. Locally, opponents have criticized the change as a politically motivated gesture that alters a well-established regional name.
While many Pensacola Beach clothing and souvenir shops have long sold patriotic-themed items, the renaming of the Gulf has led some to offer products featuring the new name. Wes Dannreuther, owner of Intracoastal Outfitters, a clothing retailer on Pensacola Beach, described the demand for “Gulf of America” merchandise as “definitely something new since for most of us, it’s always been the Gulf of Mexico.” Currently, his shop only carries a Blue Angel t-shirt featuring the name change, but “it’s nowhere near as popular as our normal Blue Angel tees,” Dannreuther said.
Christian Wagley, coastal organizer with Healthy Gulf, said that the renaming is a “distraction from the real issues facing the region, which include massive air and water pollution from the fossil fuel industry,” he said.
“President Trump is moving to increase that pollution by revoking a permanent ban on offshore drilling off Florida that was issued by President Biden, and to greatly expand offshore drilling across the central and western Gulf. More drilling in the Gulf will bring more air and water pollution to coastal residents, threaten our beaches with another BP-type spill, and harm iconic animals like sea turtles and whales.”
Healthy Gulf issued a statement criticizing the name change as a “symbolic gesture” that fails to address real challenges, emphasizing that the region is “more than a name” and reaffirming that the organization’s priority is protecting the Gulf’s environment and communities.
Drone images of people writing "Gulf of Mexico" in the sand on Pensacola Beach (694x661, AR: 1.0499243570347958)
While flying a drone over Pensacola Beach, Sean Mullins, founder of the media platform Pensacola Vibes, captured a silent protest etched in the sand: “Gulf of Mexico,” with an arrow pointing toward the water.
“I was flying my drone about 400 feet from the people in the sand and didn’t notice it until I was about 250 feet above the ground,” he said “Personally, I’m not a fan of the change, but I don’t think I’m as frustrated as a lot of other people are.”
Mullins did express concern over the lack of public input, saying, “The thing that frustrates me the most is that it was never a topic of discussion and the name was changed out of the blue.”
He also questioned the motivation behind the decision, noting, “It doesn’t make you more American to want the Gulf to be called ‘Gulf of America’ and it doesn’t make you less of an American to want it to be called ‘Gulf of Mexico.’”
Calling the change “more so American propaganda and not American patriotism,” he emphasized that the spirit of the community remains unchanged.
“From Florida to Texas, we will always just call it ‘The Gulf,’” Mullins said.
A landmark in transition
Despite the backlash, the Pensacola Beach sign is the first of several expected updates. Florida officials say the renaming efforts will continue, with changes rolling out across state-issued maps, materials, and textbooks.
Legal teams are reviewing municipal and county ordinances to ensure statewide consistency with the new naming policy, with similar measures advancing in other Gulf states.