A Florida Republican lawmaker filed a bill to rename a roadway on every public state university and college campus after the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk.The proposed legislation would withhold state funding from any institution that fails to comply with the renaming within 90 days.Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot on September 10 while speaking at an event in Utah.
A Republican state lawmaker has filed a bill requiring all of Florida’s public state universities and colleges to rename one roadway on their campuses after the slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
And if they don’t, the legislation proposes holding back “state funds” that go to the institutions.
State Rep. Kevin Steele, R–Dade City, filed the bill (HB 113) in the Florida House on Oct. 7. There’s no Senate companion yet. Steele wasn’t immediately available for comment.
The bill, if passed, would make “each institution’s “board of trustees … redesignate the following roadways or portions of roadways, as applicable.”
It then lists each roadway to be renamed:
The University of South Florida shall redesignate USF Alumni Drive as Charlie James Kirk Drive.The University of Central Florida shall redesignate Gemini Boulevard South as Charlie James Kirk Boulevard.The Florida State University shall redesignate Chieftain Way as Charlie James Kirk Road.The Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University shall redesignate West Osceola Street as Charlie James Kirk Street.The Florida Atlantic University shall redesignate University Drive as Charlie James Kirk Drive.The Florida Gulf Coast University shall redesignate FGCU Boulevard as Charlie James Kirk Boulevard.The Florida International University shall redesignate Southwest 17th Street as Charlie James Kirk Street.The Florida Polytechnic University shall redesignate Polytechnic Circle as Charlie James Kirk Circle.New College of Florida shall redesignate College Drive as Charlie James Kirk Drive.The University of Florida shall redesignate Stadium Road as Charlie James Kirk Road.The University of North Florida shall redesignate UNF Drive as Charlie James Kirk Drive.The University of West Florida shall redesignate Campus Drive as Charlie James Kirk Drive.Broward College shall redesignate College Avenue as Charlie James Kirk Avenue.Chipola College shall redesignate College Street as Charlie James Kirk Street.College of Central Florida shall redesignate Southwest 26th Street as Charlie James Kirk Street.Daytona State College shall redesignate Pinecrest Avenue as Charlie James Kirk Avenue.Eastern Florida State College shall redesignate Titan Boulevard as Charlie James Kirk Boulevard.Florida Gateway College shall redesignate Southeast College Place as Charlie James Kirk Drive.The College of the Florida Keys shall redesignate College Road as Charlie James Kirk Road.Florida SouthWestern State College shall redesignate FSW Parkway as Charlie James Kirk Parkway.Florida State College at Jacksonville shall redesignate Broad Street as Charlie James Kirk Street.Gulf Coast State College shall redesignate College Street as Charlie James Kirk Street.Hillsborough College shall redesignate West Tampa Bay Boulevard from Air Cargo Road to North Dale Mabry as Charlie James Kirk Drive.Indian River State College shall redesignate Cross Campus Road as Charlie James Kirk Road.Lake-Sumter State College shall redesignate College Drive as Charlie James Kirk Drive.Miami Dade College shall redesignate Northeast 1st Avenue as Charlie James Kirk Avenue.North Florida College shall redesignate Mockingbird Trail as Charlie James Kirk Drive.Northwest Florida State College shall redesignate McCracken Way as Charlie James Kirk Drive.Palm Beach State College shall redesignate Ersey Street as Charlie James Kirk Street.Pasco-Hernando State College shall redesignate Mrs. Prameela Musunuru Health And Wellness Trail as Charlie James Kirk Trail.Pensacola State College shall redesignate College Boulevard as Charlie James Kirk Boulevard.Polk State College shall redesignate PSC Access Road as Charlie James Kirk Road.St. Johns River State College shall redesignate Peoria Cemetery Road as Charlie James Kirk Road.St. Petersburg College shall redesignate 5th Avenue North as Charlie James Kirk Avenue.Santa Fe College shall redesignate Northwest 83rd Street as Charlie James Kirk Street.Seminole State College of Florida shall redesignate College Drive as Charlie James Kirk Street.South Florida State College shall redesignate College Drive as Charlie James Kirk Drive.State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota shall redesignate 57th Avenue West as Charlie James Kirk Avenue.Tallahassee State College shall redesignate Progress Drive as Charlie James Kirk Drive.Valencia College shall redesignate Valencia College Drive as Charlie James Kirk Drive.
“State funds shall be withheld from any state university or Florida College System institution whose board of trustees fails to redesignate the roadway or portion of a roadway listed above within 90 days after the effective date of this act,” it says. “This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.”
Steele was first elected in 2022. His online bio says he’s the vice chair of the House Information Technology Budget & Policy Subcommittee and sits on the chamber’s Criminal Justice Subcommittee and Select Committee on Property Taxes.
“My goal with this bill is to continue his legacy through generations of students that will attend our schools and will be faced with many differing ideas,” Steele wrote in a post on X on Oct 8.
This week’s bill follows one filed by another Republican lawmaker to rename a “portion of S.R. 985/S.W. 107th Avenue between S.W. 24th Street and S.R. 90/S.W. 8th Street in Miami-Dade County” to “Charlie Kirk Memorial Avenue.”
State Rep. Juan Carlos Porras, R-Miami, filed his measure (HB 33) on Sept. 23, the same day the Lake County Commission unanimously voted to rename a road for Kirk there. It would take effect July 1, 2026. That measure has been assigned to the House Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee, records show.
Kirk was fatally shot Sept. 10 while speaking at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was struck in the neck by a single bullet and later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
The 31-year-old was a prominent and polarizing political figure – an author, radio host, and podcaster – whose outspoken critiques of what he described as dangerous liberal ideas made him both an influential voice and a lightning rod in political circles.
He founded Turning Point USA in 2012, at age 18, to build a grassroots student organization devoted to free markets, limited government and conservative activism on college and high school campuses. He toured campuses across the country to debate students on issues, often sparking protests.
During a tearful address at his recent memorial in Arizona, Kirk’s widow said she forgave the man accused of killing him, and that her husband had wanted to “save young men just like the one who took his life.”
“I forgive him because it was what Christ did and it is what Charlie would do,” said Erika Kirk, 36, to a standing ovation in Glendale, Arizona. “The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the Gospel is love.”
Florida previously has renamed sections of roadways for other conservative icons, most recently for the late radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh.
The 2026 legislative session convenes Jan. 13, and committees have started meeting this week.
This story contains previously published reporting, including from USA TODAY and the Daily Commercial, a USA TODAY NETWORK newspaper. Jim Rosica is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida Capital Bureau. Reach him at jrosica@tallahassee.com and follow him on Twitter/X: @JimRosicaFL.