From the bridge of their charter boat High Class Hooker, Susanna Pope and her husband can look out at the sparkling 65-degree saltwater off Key West, Florida, and envision customers fishing for marlin, wahoo and mahi mahi.
Where will they take the tourists today? What fish will be biting? Will the blue skies and calm seas hold? And what the heck should they be calling the water they’re fishing in?
A year ago, President Donald Trump’s edict to rename the Gulf of Mexico formally took effect, and the United States abruptly ‒ legally, anyway ‒ began referring to it as the Gulf of America. In Key West, Fort Myers, Naples, all along the coast, the reaction has been mixed.
Hundreds of people enjoy the beach as temps hit the mid 70s after a cold snap at the southern beach access on Marco Island, Fla., on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026.
A fisherman casts a line using shrimp for bait at the southern beach access on Marco Island, Fla., on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026.
Beachgoers enjoy temps in the mid 70s at the southern beach access on Marco Island, Fla., on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026.
Hundreds flock to Marco Island beaches as weather warms back up
1 of 11
Hundreds of people enjoy the beach as temps hit the mid 70s after a cold snap at the southern beach access on Marco Island, Fla., on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026.
But old habits do indeed die hard, and a USA TODAY Network survey of communities along the coastline – from Florida’s Key West, Destin and Panama City to Dulac, Louisiana, and Corpus Christi, Texas – found there’s little agreement about what, exactly, people are calling the body of water they live next to. In many cases, locals just call it the same thing they’ve always called it.
«Down here, we just refer to it as the Gulf,» Susanna Pope, 44, said. «It’s like saying you’re going into town. You don’t have to say Key West. You just say town.»
In Fort Myers Beach, Florida, sailboat-dwelling Ian Wylie said he’s pleased the president renamed the place he calls home.
«I think people refuse to accept that the name has changed for several different reasons ‒ some political, some not … but I’m actually proud that we have a gulf now named after us,» said Wylie, who rents beach umbrellas and chairs to tourists.
What’s in a name?
Piloting a boat running supplies to an under-construction bridge at the south end of Fort Myers Beach, Mike «Popeye» Dearden says not only does the renaming make sense, but it’s part of a human tendency to change geographical names throughout history. He said he thinks opposition to the change comes from people disliking Trump, not the name itself.
«Did you know the Gulf has enjoyed nine official names in its history? Gulf of Mexico may have been the longest, but it’s had nine in its history. … They change the maps and get over it,” the self-described history buff and trivia geek said. «William Shakespeare said, ‘What’s in a name?'»