TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – A Florida senator has introduced a bill to change the US highway 41 known as the “US Bay Trail,” known as the Tamami Trail.
The bill, introduced by Senator Joe Gruter of R-Sarasota, follows an executive order from President Donald Trump, calling for the Gulf to be renamed, at least for those living in the United States.
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Google Maps and many US federal and state agencies have since adopted the term “American Gulf” to comply with the order. However, the Tamiami Trail could be the first major road for a name change.
Named after the two major cities it connects, the Tamiami Trail spans 284 miles, starting in Tampa and crossing Naples and the Everglades before ending in Miami.
The bill text renames “part of US 41 between the US 60 and US 1 in Miami-Dade, Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Sarasota, Manatee and Hillsboro counties.” The Ministry of Transport is then instructed to build a marker specifying the new name for the trail.
The idea of the bone sula highway was born in 1915 as a way to increase tourism in South Florida. It took several years, but the opening of the 1928 Tamami Trail was considered a monumental event.
Gruter’s proposed bill also requires state agencies, county school districts and charter school boards to use educational materials that reflect the name “American Bay.”
The bill will be debated at upcoming legislative meetings that begin next week. If you pass, it will be effective on July 1st.
