TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – After President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week renaming Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” Florida schools will follow suit, according to state Education Commissioner Henry Mack.
In a post on social media, Mack said he directed the Division of Public Schools to update academic standards and instructional materials “to reflect this change — immediately.”
“God bless Florida, and God bless America!” he wrote.
Google also updated its maps application to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America” for users in the U.S., saying in a blog post that the decision was based on its practice of using names assigned by the GNIS.
The situation mirrors that of last year, when Trump similarly renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” on his first day in office.
Afterward, the Sunshine State followed suit, with the state Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis approving a law that added “Gulf of America” to the state’s lexicon.
Lawmakers also OK’d another law that required the federal designation be included in instructional materials for state schools in grades K-12.
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