Poll: Floridians care more about property insurance and the economy than illegal immigration; no support for the ‘Gulf of America’

A Florida Republican's proposal to update all references in state statutes from "the Gulf of Mexico" to the "Gulf of America" per President Trump's executive order may be a homerun with MAGA supporters, but it's not popular with most Floridians, according to a new public opinion survey released Tuesday.

A majority of respondents — 58% — said that they oppose the idea strongly or somewhat, and only 31% expressed support for renaming the Gulf. That's according to a public opinion survey of 871 registered voters from the University of North Florida's Public Opinion Research Lab.

The bill, sponsored by Pinellas County GOP state Sen. Nick DiCeglie, would ensure that all official state documents, maps, and references reflect the designation "Gulf of America." According to the survey, opposition was high across all regions: North, Central, and South Florida.

The survey asked a series of questions about additional policy questions in the Sunshine State.

The idea of legalizing recreational cannabis in Florida, which received 56% support from voters in a proposed constitutional amendment in 2024, remained popular, despite the fact that it did not receive the 60% threshold required for passage.

Cannabis remains popular

The poll shows that 67% support the idea and just 32% oppose it.

"Support for recreational marijuana, and medical before that, has always been high in Florida, which is why its failure to pass last year as Amendment 3 came as a surprise to some folks. When we asked likely voters about it last October, 66% said they'd vote 'yes'," said Michael Binder, the poll's faculty director and UNF professor of political science. "If the opposition campaign hadn't sunk tens of millions of dollars into the race, the measure would have passed with flying colors."

The poll shows that Florida's six-week abortion ban remains politically unpopular, with 54% of respondents saying the laws on abortion rights should be less restrictive, 10% saying they should be stricter, and 33% saying they should remain the same.

An overwhelming majority of Democrats (80%) and independents (61%) think the abortion laws are too strict, as do 28% of Republicans.

"You expect Democrats to say the current six-week abortion ban is too strict, but it's saying something that 28% of Republicans also think they're too restrictive," said Binder.

"When we asked about Amendment 4 just weeks before the election, 60% of likely voters said they'd vote in favor. With both amendments 3 and 4 having come so close to the supermajority needed to pass, it goes to show how much voter turnout, not to mention some heavy campaigning by the governor's office, can affect outcomes."

Property insurance, not immigration, is the top issue

While the first weeks of 2025 have been dominated by Florida Republicans working on and ultimately passing an illegal immigration bill, it's not the top issue for Floridians, according to the poll.

The survey says that housing and property insurance costs are tops with 34%, indicating that they are the state's most important problems. Twenty-one percent pointed to the economy, jobs, and inflation as the biggest problems, followed distantly by immigration and education, each with 9%.

Donald Trump has a 47% approval rating in Florida, with 45% opposing. DeSantis remains more popular than not, scoring a 48% favorable rating with 43% unfavorable.

The poll listed five Florida Republicans who might run for governor in 2026: First Lady Casey DeSantis, U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.

Ms. DeSantis received 30% favorable response, the highest of the five listed.

Donalds, who may be the chosen one by President Donald Trump, had a 15%-9% favorable to unfavorable rating, but two-thirds, 66%, said they had never heard of him.

It's even worse for Agriculture Commissioner Simpson. A total of 79% of all voters said they had never heard of him.

The candidate with the highest unfavorable numbers was Gaetz, who stepped down as Trump's choice for U.S. attorney general in November. A total of 39% rated him unfavorably, while just 18% looked at him favorably.

This report first appeared on the website of the Florida Phoenix, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to coverage of state government and politics from Tallahassee.