Gov. DeSantis made Florida the first state to reference the 'Gulf of America' following Trump's inauguration

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks ahead of winter weather, arctic freeze

Gov. Ron DeSantis hosted a news conference Tuesday morning in Tallahassee to give updates on Florida’s State of Emergency as an arctic blast approaches.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Governor Ron DeSantis made Florida the first state to reference the "Gulf of America" following Trump's Inauguration Day announcement.

"America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on earth, inspiring the awe and admiration of the entire world. A short time from now, we will be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.", President Trump stated during his inaugural speech.

Trump says he'll rename the Gulf of Mexico

President Donald Trump announced during his inaugural address that the United States would rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

The "Gulf of America" was mentioned in the executive order when the governor issued a state of emergency due to the winter storm expected to move into northern Florida.

"Whereas an area of low pressure moving across the Gulf of America, interacting with Arctic air, will bring widespread impactful weather to North Florida beginning Tuesday.", the executive order reads.

This major winter storm is expected to bring frigid temperatures to parts of Florida, as well as the potential for snow, ice, sleet, and/or freezing rain.

What does a state of emergency do?

What we know:

A state of emergency allows the Gov. DeSantis and the Department of Emergency Management to access additional resources, equipment, and funding to assist with an emergency. It effectively removes some of the red tape needed to access those resources – and in Florida, it is most commonly declared ahead of major tropical storms, hurricanes, and other natural disasters.

Florida winter storm: What can we expect?

Big picture view:

As a storm system in the Gulf moves eastbound and encounters Arctic air, snow will overspread parts of the Panhandle.

To be clear, snow is not forecast to fall in Orlando or Central Florida. Snow will mainly fall across Florida’s Panhandle, stretching east to around Jacksonville. The farther east you are, the more likely you’ll see sleet and freezing rain, which will reduce snowfall amounts.

The far western Florida Panhandle is where the highest snowfall totals are projected to fall. Some areas could see up to 4 inches of snow, which would cause serious travel issues.

The Source: The information in this article comes from the executive order, Inauguration Day coverage and information provided by the FOX 35 Storm Team.

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