Florida is First State to Officially Use ‘Gulf Of America’ With Cold Weather Emergency Declaration Just Hours After Trump Inaugurated

The state of Florida became the first U.S. state to officially refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America on Monday, when issuing an emergency declaration ahead of a major winter weather event.

Parts of Florida and Georgia are expecting bitter temperatures, sleet, freezing rain, or potentially even snow going into Tuesday.

The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings and extreme cold warnings for multiple counties and towns across northern Florida, including Tallahassee, Pensacola, and Jacksonville, prompting Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, to declare a weather emergency on Monday evening.

Trump has not issued any official change of policy on the Gulf of America as of the time of this post, but has declared that it will be the U.S. position going forward that it is the Gulf of America, not the Gulf of Mexico.

In Florida’s emergency declaration on Inauguration Day, it is referred to as the Gulf of America when describing the weather situation.

It states that “an area of low pressure moving across the Gulf of America, interacting with Arctic air, will bring widespread impactful winter weather to North Florida beginning Tuesday, January 21, 2025.”

Earlier in the evening, DeSantis announced the emergency in a post on X, but did not include any geographic or meteorological details that would mention the Gulf.

Dangerously cold temperatures are being felt across North Florida this week, with possibilities of snow and black ice.

At my direction, @FLSERT is monitoring this system closely, and @MyFDOT is on standby with snow plows and other equipment for road and bridge safety needs.…

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) January 20, 2025

Residents are being advised to take steps and precautions in advance of the brutal winter weather they are not accustomed to enduring in the state.

Good afternoon y'all. Here's the 5pm Update on the upcoming winter storm. Changes: Snowfall amounts have increased and the entire forecast area now under a winter storm warning. Precipitation now forecast to arrive a few hours earlier than previously forecast. #FLwx #ALwx #GAwx pic.twitter.com/TuFoN1oI0Y

— NWS Tallahassee (@NWSTallahassee) January 20, 2025

🚨 1/20/25: With the dangerously cold temperatures impacting northern parts of the state, remember the 5 P's:

🧣 Protect People
🐶 Protect Pets
🪴 Protect Plants
🚿 Protect Pipes
🧯 Practice Fire Safety

Learn more about extreme cold at https://t.co/1McMiq55Le. pic.twitter.com/uZnA2Izdig

— FL Division of Emergency Management (@FLSERT) January 20, 2025

Read the full emergency declaration from the Governor here.