Overview
- Town commissioners tabled the renaming proposal, leaving Gulf of Mexico Drive as Longboat Key's local designation for now.
- Officials reported 423 emails from residents with roughly 80–83% urging the town to keep the longtime name.
- FDOT previously removed Gulf of Mexico Drive signs on State Road 789 under House Bill 549, with six signs taken down.
- Businesses and residents warned a change would force thousands of address updates and trigger costly revisions to marketing and insurance documents.
- Local coverage linked FDOT’s move to a presidential order favoring the term Gulf of America, though officials cited the state law, and town leaders said keeping the local name remains legal even as they worried about possible repercussions.