- January 22, 2025
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There was so much to like in Donald Trump’s inauguration speech. But from our vantage point down here, the part to like best was his vow to change the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America.
That immediately sparked chatter, speculation and hope around Longboat Key that Longboat’s “Main Street” — Gulf of Mexico Drive — would undergo the same name change.
Assuming Trump will get what he wants, it would be awkward for us to be driving on a road named for a body of water that no longer exists and with the name of country that isn’t one that has treated us like dirt.
Perhaps there will be many who think it arrogant in this part of the United States of America to want to change the name of that (mostly beautiful) body of water. But considering what Mexico has done to the U.S., especially in the past 20 years (e.g. central hub and launch pad of an invasion of illegal immigrants and central distribution hub for one of our nation’s biggest killers — fentanyl), that country is not deserving to have a major body of water named in its honor.
So we’re going to assume Trump will prevail in this name war. And we’ll assume our state legislators will go along with the name change as well — especially given Gulf of Mexico Drive is a state highway.
Who knows how or how long this can and will take. But our 47th president certainly has sent strong messages this name change is high on his priority list.
With that, we hope the Florida Department of Transportation and the Longboat Key Public Works staff have already begun lining up the street sign makers.
Meantime …
There is much for the pundits to unpack from Trump’s inauguration address. That was quite the long to-do list. It would be worthwhile to compile the list and keep score — put boxes next to each item and cross them off as he proceeds.
As is typical Trump was blunt and clearly in tune with the way Americans feel — sick to their stomachs and wallets with what his predecessor and his puppet masters did to the U.S. the previous four years.
Indeed, it was rich to sit and watch the Bidens, Harrises, Obamas and Clintons scowl as Trump called out each one of their catastrophes. They deserved to be shamed for what they inflicted on American families.
Perhaps one line captured how absurd the state of the country became over the past four years when Trump — the president of our government and leader of the free world — felt compelled to have to declare “that henceforth it will be the official policy of the United States government that there will be only two genders — male female.”
Never in the history of the world has that been an issue.
Can you imagine George Washington or Abraham Lincoln making such a pronouncement. It’s a testament to how far down we’ve gone.
As is his way, Trump made his hyperbolized pronouncements of how great America is to become. But give him credit. We need a leader in the Oval Office who has big visions and also a track record of getting things done.
Our favorite phrases and lines:
When Marc Wilson, president of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, spoke last week at the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 kickoff brunch, he captivated the audience with startling statistics about Florida.
Some of those stats are in the charts above.
But one chart that was among the most stunning to the audience was this: Florida leads the nation in net income migration from other states (wealthy people moving to Florida) — $36.1 billion in 2021-22. That would fund all of Florida’s public education.
Sarasota County’s net income migration from other states is $2.48 billion a year. And if Sarasota County were a state, it would rank eighth in the country in net income migration.
A few of Wilson’s other noteworthy statistics:
