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

MIAMI – 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.

“I have drafted a proposal, an amendment onto a larger bill that would rename highway 27 to name it the Donald J Trump highway,” said Sabatini.

Memorial roadway designations are not new. Florida’s turnpike was renamed the Ronald Reagan Highway in the late-90′s. Sabatini’s proposal comes during an interesting time for the Republican Party as a rift continues to develop between establishment Republicans and the party’s pro-Trump-wing.

“The success or failure of their ability to do it will say a lot about Trump’s standing as the leader of the party,” 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.

“They are fighting over the heart and soul of the Republican Party, so they have to find a balance point,” 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.

“I think the road is about commemorating one of the great presidents of American history and the first Floridian president,” he said. “The first president actually to be residing in Florida and it is a unifying gesture.”