Longboat veteran urges town to take a drive toward Gulf of America

Bombay became Mumbai. Peking became Beijing. Idlewild International became John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Will Gulf of Mexico Drive follow the same route?

At least one Longboat Key resident has raised the issue with town leaders, and others have expressed support. And even if the process takes time and winds its way through legal and governmental swerves, George Reenstra says it’s a voyage worth taking. 

Other residents say it's unnecessary and would likely lead to costly spending. Mayor Ken Schneier said it’s not totally clear yet how the island’s main drag could be renamed, what the costs might be or who’d be responsible for them. 

“But it would not be inexpensive, you know,’’ he said. “And we have a little bit of information, more than a little bit, having done the undergrounding project and done all the new street signs with it. It's not an inexpensive process, especially with our budget what it is now, and reserves down from the storms.’’

Reenstra, a Longboat Key resident for 12 years, a military helicopter pilot in Vietnam and an aviation executive ever since, wants to make one thing clear from the outset.

This isn’t a case of inside-The-Capital-Beltway follow the leader. He said he’s supported recent candidates from both parties and isn’t always eye to eye with them. This, he said, is a simple matter of changing with the times.

“I just don't want to get into a political argument with somebody, because that is not my intent,’’ Reenstra said in a recent interview. “Gulf of America is what I would see out my front window. I don't see the Gulf of Mexico anymore.’’

Photo by Carlin Gillen

So, he said, it’s partly an argument of accuracy and consistency. It’s also a matter of honoring the nation. “Why not make America stand up again like we used to be,’’ he said. “You know, after the Second World War, this country was the idol of the world. But more to the point, what's the harm in changing it? I think it's a patriotic thing to do.’’

Is it that simple?

As far as FDOT is concerned, the main strip of blacktop through Longboat Key is called State Road 789, all the way from the eastern base of the John Ringling Causeway in Sarasota to the middle of the town of Anna Maria. And that’s not going to change. To connect a name to state property, like a highway or a park, the Florida Legislature needs to grant permission, Reenstra says he’s been told.

In an email. FDOT spokeswoman Janella Newsome wrote: "Aside from an act of the Legislature specifically providing for such action, an actual naming or re-naming of a state road is accomplished by cooperation of the affected local jurisdiction, the FDOT, and other affected parties. The process requires concurrence of the U.S. Postmaster, public meetings to obtain concurrence of local stakeholders (businesses and residents who would undergo a change of address), a local ordinance, and notification by the local jurisdiction to other parties, such as law enforcement, 911 responders, and utility providers.”

Reenstra has been connecting this summer not just with town officials but also state legislators and the region’s inside-The-Capital Beltway representatives.

Town Attorney Maggie Mooney, also, isn’t so sure the town is compelled to make the switch based on the wording of an order from Gov. Ron DeSantis directing state offices to match up with January’s White House directive changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico itself to the Gulf of America.

A memo from her to Schneier on July 15 in part says: “The legislative analysis summary is intended to point out, that while the legislation does not specifically include a requirement on a municipality, the legislative analysis seems to indicate an implied assumption that general purpose governments (ie, cities and counties) would be impacted and would absorb costs associated with things like signage changes. So the analysis, which is not law, creates confusion.’’ Research continues.

Gulf of Mexico Drive was not always so named. It had been Ringling Drive during a time when circus magnate John Ringling envisioned but never finished a lavish resort on the island. When and who renamed the road, and under what circumstances, is also something the town is looking into this summer. For what it’s worth, a 1958 map of Longbeach Village notes the presence of Gulf of Mexico Drive in its present location, but the same map also labels Broadway Street ‘Main Street.’

Aside from maps and other officialdom, property records for Manatee and Sarasota counties indicate nearly 5,000 privately owned residential and commercial properties on Gulf of Mexico Drive, from the Aquarius condominium complex to the Zych family.

Aside from private driveways, there are at least 55 public streets that intersect with GMD, each with at least one street sign of its own — 40 of them recently updated with backlighting fed by recently undergrounded power lines. That sign project cost about $480,000.

Schneier said because the issue is so new, it’s hard to see all the angles without more facts. But “if the right body with the power tells us to make the name change, then we will go about doing that. I presume. Unless there's some good reason not to.’’

Reenstra says there’s probably sufficient support on Longboat Key to help fund a street name conversion, and that logistical hurdles can be cleared one by one if the go-ahead is given. After all, the town recently announced $4 million in private donations to supplement the construction of a county-funded library with a town-centric community center. The whole thing will bear the name of its largest donor, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan and his wife, Sandy.

There’s more to consider beyond address changes, dollars and cents, Reensta said.

“Well, names have changed,’’ Reenstra said. “California wasn't California until 1848. And it got changed when the Mexican government no longer controlled it. I mean, we have changed names and there's no reason not to. We’ve changed names of sports teams. I mean, I guess rather than ‘why change it?’ ‘why not change it?’ ’’