LONGBOAT KEY, Fla. (WFLA) — The town of Longboat Key is feeling some pressure to change the name of its main street, Gulf of Mexico Drive.
“The majority of us like our name,” said Mary Ellen Cawley, a resident. “We didn’t ask to change it.”The town held a public meeting Monday to see how residents felt about the change. This comes after FDOT removed 6 signs from the road because of a state law requiring the change of signage referencing the Gulf to say ‘Gulf of America’ following an executive order from President Trump.“it’s gone,” said resident Frank Lugano, “Roads referencing this name are now nonsensical.”“The issue has become politicized,” said resident David Dickinson. “We’re making a big issue out of something that’s very simple. We’re all Americans we need to honor America.”Town leaders gave residents the option to change the name or keep it the same which would still be legal to do. For many residents – the hassle of an address change was too much.“We have a bunch of time and money that is going to be wasted,” said resident Lillian Sands.“It’s not a bad name and it doesn’t mean you hate Trump,” said resident James Armstrong. “Who knows, maybe the administration could change the other way – hopefully not – but then what? Are we going to change it back?”Ultimately, they voted unanimously to keep the name, despite town leaders’ fears that they may face repercussions from the department of transportation.“Our job here is health, welfare, and safety and getting this community back on its feet after the most horrid weather conditions we have experienced in over 100 years,” said town commissioner BJ Bishop.The mayor hinted that their final decision may not mean the end of it, saying that people were watching to see where they landed on the issue…