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Florida lawmaker wants to re-name US-27 the Donald J Trump Highway

MIAMI ā€“ US-27 stretches from South Florida to the Panhandle. A Florida lawmaker wants to name the road after former President Donald Trump.

Republican state Rep. Anthony Sabatini has launched a petition drive seeking signatures to support his Donald Trump highway idea.

ā€œI have drafted a proposal, an amendment onto a larger bill that would rename highway 27 to name it the Donald J Trump highway,ā€ said Sabatini.

Memorial roadway designations are not new. Floridaā€™s turnpike was renamed the Ronald Reagan Highway in the late-90ā€²s. Sabatiniā€™s proposal comes during an interesting time for the Republican Party as a rift continues to develop between establishment Republicans and the partyā€™s pro-Trump-wing.

ā€œThe success or failure of their ability to do it will say a lot about Trumpā€™s standing as the leader of the party,ā€ said Nova Southeastern University political science professor Charles Zelden.

Which makes US-27 at once symbolic in that context. Visit Florida said that on a map, the route looks like a spine, hence its nickname as the backbone of Florida.

ā€œThey are fighting over the heart and soul of the Republican Party, so they have to find a balance point,ā€ Zelden said.

Sabatini hopes to collect one million signatures. He said his idea in draft form and he plans to add it as an amendment to a transportation bill in approximately two weeks.

ā€œI think the road is about commemorating one of the great presidents of American history and the first Floridian president,ā€ he said. ā€œThe first president actually to be residing in Florida and it is a unifying gesture.ā€


About the Author
Christina Vazquez headshot

Christina returned to Local 10 in 2019 as a reporter after covering Hurricane Dorian for the station. She is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist and previously earned an Emmy Award while at WPLG for her investigative consumer protection segment "Call Christina."

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