TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In a tongue-and-cheek social media post this week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he’d be against having his own named lake — even as other officials with the state push the recently renamed “Lake America.”
DeSantis responded to another post on social media on Wednesday, which called for a new “Lake DeSantis.”
“Respectfully, that would be the easiest veto of my tenure!” he wrote.
The comment appears to be a nod to a recent order by President Donald Trump, which mandates that Lake Ontario be renamed as “Lake America.”
The controversial decision to rename Lake Ontario was met with mixed reactions, though leaders in Florida have appeared to embrace the move.
Florida Education Commissioner Henry Mack announced that public schools in the state will update standards and instructional materials to recognize the new term.
Meanwhile, Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-CD1) revealed his “Lake America Act,” which would replace references to Lake Ontario with “Lake America” in federal laws, maps and other records.
Patronis said he put forward the proposal after Trump previously redubbed the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”
“President Trump put America back on the map. Now we’re putting America on Lake Ontario,” Patronis said. “Canada can call it whatever they want, but here in America, I say we call it Lake America. I’m a proud American, and I’ve always believed there’s nothing wrong with a little more American pride. So I figured, why stop at the Gulf? Lake America sounds a whole lot better.”
DeSantis didn’t specify whether he supports the name change. However, he did approve a similar measure last year that adds “Gulf of America” to the state’s lexicon after another Trump order.
Lawmakers also OK’d another law that required the federal designation be included in instructional materials for state schools in grades K-12.
It is unclear how much it will cost taxpayers to rename state and federal maps and signs.
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