SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Sen. Joe Gluters of Sarasota County introduced the bill this week.
“Everyone wanted to ride a ‘goat’ and now they’ll be able to go on the trails in the US Bay all the way from Tampa to Miami,” Senator Gruters said. “My colleagues and a few people I spoke to have expressed gratitude to the President, supported him and said everything he is doing is a great way to rename this historic road.”
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News Channel 8 spoke with people who use the highway to get their ideas.
“It’s a bit weird,” said Patricia M, a Venice resident.
“What a stupid idea, my God. Keep Tamami! The history of the Tamami Trail is extremely important to Florida,” said part-time resident Paula Thompson.
“It would still be US 41, so they could still use their real name. So ultimately, it would be a preference, but if you want to use the US Bay Trail, you could do it,” Gruters said. “I’m sure there are a lot of people who want to use it. Maybe there are people who aren’t, but in the end, this is a nod to the country, a nod to the president and move forward. I hope people like it.”
News Channel 8 asked Senator Gruters about the costs that could be associated with changes to all road signs from Tampa to Miami.
“We don’t know the financial impact yet, but I think it’s minimal,” Gluters said. “I’ll work overtime, swap signs as needed, replace them with a new name and move forward.”
From Tampa to Miami, some business owners use trail names in their business names, from bars and restaurants to car shops.
Jeremy Davis owns Tamami Trail Catering in Sarasota. He will be taking part in regional events and will soon begin offering cooking classes. He chose the historic highway name to represent his story of starting his cooking in the Miami area and eventually moving to the Sarasota/Tampa area to open his own catering company.
He said he’s embracing a new name on the trail, but as for his business name, it remains the same.
“I’m not against that, but I’m going to keep up with Tamami Trail Catering, I don’t think it’s affecting us much,” Davis said. “People in this area are really getting to know us and what we do. We have good momentum so there’s no small name change that affects us too much.”
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.
