SARASOTA, Fla. — An island off the Florida Gulf Coast is going through a bit of an identity crisis. A competition has the city of Sarasota temporally changing the name of a nearby island.
City Island has now been changed to Google Island. That's because Google is launching an experimental ultra high-speed network in the U.S. and Sarasota is trying to get the Internet giant's attention.
Locals just hope the name won't change again.
"We're not gonna have Verizon Island or Comcast Island soon, are we?" Local business man Rich Sweir questioned.
Sweir thinks having the capability to upload to the Internet faster will mean jobs and money for the Sarasota area, but changing the name of the island might not really set the island apart at all.
Google is also using local resources, weather conditions and regulatory issues to determine who will get the high-speed service.
WFTV
