Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed a transportation bill that slaps an honorary new title on Tallahassee International Airport, renaming it the Bobby Bowden Tallahassee International Airport, and state crews were already out changing signs by the end of the day. A small ceremony near the Capital Circle widening project pulled in Bowden family members, former players and state leaders, who framed the move as a hometown salute to the late coach’s decades in Tallahassee. Transportation officials said crews were dispatched immediately to install markers and update roadway signs leading to the airport.
SB 628, signed on April 14, directs the Department of Transportation to put up suitable markers and explicitly designates the airport at 3300 Capital Circle Southwest as the “Bobby BowdenTallahassee International Airport,” using the bill’s exact wording. As outlined by the Florida Senate, the designation is honorary and the act takes effect July 1, 2026.
Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared W. Perdue shared the rollout on X; in a post from Jared W. Perdue, P.E., FDOT crews are already shown installing new signage shortly after the ceremony wrapped. Local television coverage also reported that workers started updating road signs along Capital Circle immediately after the bill signing, tracking with the state’s direction to place new markers as the law requires, as reported by WCTV.
Bowden’s Legacy Front and Center at the Signing
Ginger Bowden Madden stood in for the Bowden family at the event and said she was “very honored to be here today to represent my family,” according to coverage of the ceremony. Former Seminole All‑American and state Sen. Corey Simon cast the airport naming as a personal tribute, saying Bowden lived by “faith, family and football” and joking that the new name now adds “flights” to that list, as reported by News4JAX.
Other Political Names Going Up on Florida Roads
The same transportation bill layers on several other honorary designations around the state, including a stretch of College Avenue near FSU that will be known as “President John Thrasher Memorial Boulevard” and a statewide naming of S.R. 80 as the “President Donald J. Trump Highway.” SB 628 instructs FDOT to erect markers for each listed facility and spells out that the airport signage should be placed at or near the airport’s location; the full language is available in the official bill text on the Florida Senate website.
Officials described the Tallahassee airport naming as honorary and said FDOT crews would install the markers called for in the bill, with workers already visible on nearby roadways. Event and local reporting indicate crews were dispatched right after the signing, and motorists should expect sign work along Capital Circle in the coming days, as reported by News4JAX.
