It's a comment from president-elect Donald Trump that caught many people off guard.

"We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America," he said.

Trump linked his decision to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to immigration.

"Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country," he said.

RELATED STORY | Can Trump rename the Gulf of Mexico to the 'Gulf of America?'

Mexico's president has her own idea.

"Obviously, the name Gulf of Mexico is recognized by the United Nations by a United Nations agency. Why don't we call it [North America] "Amrica Mexicana"? That sounds nice, no?" Claudia Sheinbaum said sarcastically during her daily press briefing.

The Gulf of Mexico is 930 miles wide and bordered by the United States and Mexico. Both countries have roughly equal the same share of shoreline.

Nicole Anslover is an associate professor of history at Florida Atlantic University. She said the body of water has carried that name "Gulf of Mexico" for roughly 400 years.

"It's not because of the modern nation state Mexico that we know. It's actually when the Spanish were over here conquering and settling part of the area, they named it Mexico after a city that they found nearby," she said. "So, it doesn't even refer to the country of Mexico even though that's the general impression."

RELATED STORY | Traces of fentanyl and other drugs found in bottlenose dolphins in Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is used by both countries and Cuba for commerce.

"Lots of shipping and a lot of energy purposes. So, we not only get petroleum from there but wind energy and things like that," Anslover said.

So, is it possible for the president-elect to change the name? Yes. But Anslover said no other countries would have to recognize the change. She said Trump can work with the U.S. Board of Geographic Name or Congress. She said things can get confusing.

"Especially with weather reporting, things like that," she said. "If all other agencies in the world were calling it the Gulf of Mexico and our country was to call it the Gulf of America, that would cause some confusion with things like any future treaties, any shipping."

This story was originally published by Todd Wilson at

Scripps News West Palm Beach.

Three firefighters and 12 Brightline passengers have been injured following an incident involving a Delray Beach Fire Rescue truck and a Brightline train Saturday morning in Delray Beach, Florida.

According to Matt Saraceni, sergeant of the Delray Beach Police Traffic Homicide Unit, three firefighters have been hospitalized with injuries. Two of the firefighters were transported as trauma alerts to Delray Beach Medical Center and all are in stable condition.

RELATED STORY | Chemical burn in East Palestine derailment could have been avoided

Twelve passengers from the Brightline train were transported to the hospital with minor injuries. Delray Beach Fire Chief Ronald Martin said there was a call to service in the area shortly before this incident, but could not confirm if the truck was assigned or released from that call at the time of the crash.

A nearby intersection was closed on Saturday as an investigation was still underway by the Delray Beach Police Department, Brightline officials and the National Transportation Safety Board.

This article was written by

Samantha Roesler and Briana Nespral for Scripps News West Palm Beach.

The state of Florida is filing new charges against the man accused of attempting to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump earlier this year in Palm Beach County.

Attorney General Ashley Moody was in Martin County on Wednesday to announce additional attempted murder charges against Ryan Routh.

Following the second assassination attempt against Trump this year, Routh fled north on Interstate 95 toward Martin County.

WATCH BELOW: AG Moody announces state charges against Ryan Routh

State of Florida announces new charges against Ryan Routh

When deputies found him, they had to stop traffic in both directions on I-95, which caused a crash that seriously injured a 6-year-old girl.

During Wednesday's news conference, Moody said she hopes the attempted murder charge against Routh will bring justice to the young girl and her family.

Just two days after the assassination attempt in Palm Beach County, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order on Sept. 17 to launch a state-level investigation.

In October, the state of Florida filed a lawsuit to stop the U.S. Department of Justice from blocking a state investigation into the second assassination attempt on Trump.

"The feds have stonewalled Florida's investigation of the Trump assassination attempt at every turn, and I appreciate AG Ashley Moody and her team for plowing forward despite such resistance. The tide will turn on January 20th and we fully expect that the federal roadblocks will be removed. The would-be assassin needs to face the full force of justice and the people deserve the truth about the defendants history, motivations and plan," DeSantis posted on X.

Scripps News West Palm Beach Reporter Brooke Chau asked Moody about when Routh might have a first appearance in court to face the charges being filed in Florida.

"He's being held on federal charges," Moody replied. "At some point, he will face his new charges filed in Martin County."

Routh remains in federal custody.

Read the full 18-page affidavit below:

This story was originally published by Brooke Chau and Scott Sutton at

Scripps News West Palm Beach

.

The swimming pool at a Florida high school has been shut down indefinitely after a large number of iguanas on the property forced the Department of Health and the School District of Palm Beach County to close the pool for safety reasons.

Scripps News West Palm Beach visited the pool and found dozens of iguanas of different sizes sunbathing on the bleachers and deck, which was covered in the reptile's excrement. We also spotted large amounts of their feces along the edges of the pool near the bleachers.

"What they leave behind is definitely gross," Lake Worth Beach resident Alyssia Jaume said. She describes the iguana invasion at Lake Worth High School as an oasis for the reptiles.

RELATED STORY | This your reptile? Colorado officials rescue orange iguana at a park

It's an issue Jaume said she experiences in her backyard daily.

"They like to eat orchids too," Jaume said. "I've seen them climbing along the fence, and I've seen their excrement here by the pool."

Officials with the School District of Palm Beach County said despite their efforts to maintain the pool at Lake Worth High School, the pool's filtration and chemical systems were not able to keep up with contaminants by the iguanas.

"We're all having to spend an incredible amount of damage that iguanas are causing to government infrastructure," said Lake Worth Beach Commissioner Reinaldo Diaz. "They're everywhere and they're not going anywhere."

Diaz said the city has spent more than $100,000 in iguana prevention infrastructure.

"Unfortunately, they're a problem that's here to stay," Diaz said.

The city has put up climb-resistant barriers to prevent the reptiles from climbing up power poles and damaging the lines since he said one animal can take out an entire block of power.

"They're a bigger priority than maybe people realize," Diaz said. "Everything that we put out that makes us more resilient against storms we also have to think about making it resilient against animals, especially iguanas."

RELATED STORY | Florida wildlife experts capture 500-pound pile of Burmese pythons

The city has also put up electric fencing in areas after an iguana caused a large-scale outage to the city's electric utility nearly two years ago, which left over 1,400 people without power.

"That doesn't even factor in people's backyards what they're doing to people's residential pools, the amount of flowers and plants that they eat," Diaz said. "All that stuff is racking up a bill."

He's encouraging residents to make sure the trees and landscaping are trimmed away from power poles as iguanas are known to climb.

The Lake Worth Community High School pool is district-owned, and they said there are no plans to reopen it.

This story was originally published by Joel Lopez at

Scripps News West Palm Beach.

The U.S. Coast Guard offloaded more than 16,100 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of $182.8 million at Port Everglades in Florida earlier this week.

The agency said the drugs were seized in the eastern Pacific Ocean off South and Central America. Six suspected smugglers were also taken into custody.

RELATED STORY | $5 million in methamphetamine disguised as watermelons seized at border

"Im proud of our accomplishments during this three-and-a-half-month deployment," said Capt. Justin Carter, the commanding officer of Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton. "The exceptional crew of Hamilton, with the support of an aircrew from Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Squadron, demonstrated the greatest professionalism, seamanship and airmanship while executing this important and challenging mission at sea in service to nation."

This story was originally published by Matt Papaycik at

Scripps News West Palm Beach.

The community came together Tuesday to honor the lives of three Palm Beach County deputies who were killed in a devastating crash last month.

A public memorial, which lasted about two hours, was held for Ignacio "Dan" Diaz, Deputy Sheriff Ralph "Butch" Waller and Cpl. Luis Paez at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in Florida.

People lined streets to honor the deputies as a law enforcement procession left the Palms West Funeral Home along State Road 7 on its way to the amphitheater. The service began at about 11:15 a.m. and concluded just after 1 p.m.

President-elect Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis were in attendance along with other elected officials.

U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., gave brief remarks at the memorial service.

"I knew them. We met at Veteran's Day parades and along motorcade routes We shared the road as we fired up our Harleys on motorcycle runs, and we shared sanctuaries in churches," Mast said. "I cannot pretend that I knew them well, but they were always present, always on watch because it was their calling to protect every person in this community from danger even those of us that they barely knew. Nothing could be more selfless."

WATCH BELOW: Mast says courage of fallen deputies 'was as natural as breathing'

US Rep. Brian Mast says courage of fallen deputies 'was as natural as breathing'

Mast said their courage and bravery were unmatched.

"They knew full well the hazards of their chosen profession, patrolling inches from death all day, every day," Mast said. "Yet, they never stood down, never asked that another be sent forward instead of them because for their lives courage was as natural as breathing."

Family members and friends of each of the fallen deputies spoke at the service.

Alexandria Diaz, the daughter of Ignacio "Dan" Diaz, gave a poignant speech to honor her father.

"My dad always had a passion for law enforcement," she said. "Since he was 6 years old, he always had a desire to be a police officer."

She said he took pride in arresting suspects accused of drunk driving, receiving awards for making more than 100 DUI arrests each year.

WATCH BELOW: Daughter of Ignacio "Dan" Diaz says father 'persevered no matter what'

Daughter of Ignacio 'Dan Diaz remembers father as 'so kind' he never used the word 'hate'

Diaz said her dad was an "amazing" cook who made a "mean chili" and was a "lover of animals of all sizes."

"He was funny, insanely funny," Diaz said. "He could make anyone laugh. He gave everyone a silly nickname."

WATCH BELOW: President-elect Trump attends memorial service

President-elect Donald Trump attends memorial service for Palm Beach County deputies

Agencies from surrounding counties, across Florida and other states attended the services to pay respects to their fallen comrades.

Scripps News West Palm Beach reporter Tyler Hatfield spoke to Martin County Sheriff William Snyder who said their honor guard will be a part of the service. Also, their motor units were in attendance. Snyder said about 12-15 patrol cars with deputies were part of a convoy to show support for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said that, in lieu of flowers, the public is asked to consider making a donation to the Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association Fund to support the families of fallen deputies by clicking here.

This story was originally published by Scott Sutton and Hollani Davis at

Scripps News West Palm Beach

.

A Florida family said they are frustrated and furious after Royal Caribbean changed their cruise itinerary to Haiti less than a week before they departed the United States.

The U.S. State Department placed Haiti on a Level 4 travel advisory, meaning it doesnt recommend Americans travel to the country. The Federal Aviation Administration also banned U.S. air carriers from landing in the country after multiple planes were hit by gunfire earlier this month.

Yvette Avila said the warnings and restrictions from the federal government were the reason she didnt originally book a cruise to Haiti. She said she was looking forward to celebrating her daughters 16th Birthday in San Juan, Puerto Rico, but now shes concerned about going on a trip costing her family thousands of dollars.

RELATED STORY | Cruises are making a post-pandemic comeback. Here's how the industry is changing to meet demand

"We've overcome so much as a family, and we're supposed to celebrate that in our roots in Puerto Rico," Avila said. "I can't believe Royal Caribbean is allowed to do this."

She said Royal Caribbean will only refund the family their port fees and taxes if they cancel the trip. Avila said she believes the company's practice is unfair.

"In between doing the last minute things, we need to decide are we going to go," she said. "Are we going to go? Are we going to compromise ourselves? Are my kids going to get kidnapped? Is something going to happen on the ship? Other people can take that chance. We just really dont want to do that."

Scripps News West Palm Beach contacted Royal Caribbean, who told us it apologized to guests for the inconvenience. The company, based in Miami, said it had to modify the itinerary for Symphony of the Seas because of a technical issue at San Juan, but it believes traveling to Haiti is safe.

"The safety and security of our guests, crew, and communities we visit are our top priority," said a Royal Caribbean Group Spokesperson in an email. "Our Global Security and Intelligence Team continuously monitor the situation in Haiti. Currently, there are no changes to our planned itineraries."

RELATED STORY | Disney cruise ship helps rescue 4 stranded boaters in the Atlantic Ocean

A spokesperson for the United States Coast Guard in San Juan said the Port of San Juan is open, but the pier for larger cruise ships like Symphony of the Seas has been damaged since April. He said the agency is waiting on the San Juan Cruise Port and the Puerto Rico Ports Authority to meet certain conditions to reopen the pier in a press release.

We understand the inconvenience of this matter, however, it is critical we ensure the safety of the port, the cruise ships and the thousands of people who operate on or visit the island through this port facility, said Capt. Luis J. Rodriguez, Commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan and Captain of the Port San Juan in the release. My team stands ready to move ahead immediately once we receive the awaited studies from San Juan Cruise Port and the Puerto Rico Ports Authority.

Yvette Avila said her family has been making payments on the cruise since April and the cancellation with no indication her trip could have been diverted. She said she thinks this is a scam to ensure the companys resort in Haiti gets more traffic.

"I'm really disappointed that they are being allowed to do this to American consumers, Avila said. Like too bad, so sad. We're taking your money anyway."

This article was written by Ethan Stein for

Scripps News West Palm Beach.