MASSIVE PUBLIC OUTCRY DRIVES FEDERAL NAMES PANEL TO REJECT BOCA CHICA NAME CHANGE TO TESLA CYBER BEACH

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Various Sources

A federal committee rejected a proposal on Thursday to rename Boca Chica Beach in South Texas to "Cyber Beach." The move preserves the historic name despite a SpaceX supporter’s effort to rebrand the public beach near the company’s Starbase launch site.

By an 11–0 vote, the The U.S. Board of Geographic Names Domestic Names Committee  rejected a petition from SpaceX and Tesla superfan Josh Hazel from Mississippi to rename the popular beach in honor of a small group of self-described "enthusiasts" he belongs to, who regularly travel to South Texas in their Cybertrucks to watch Starship launches from the shoreline.

However, officials from across the federal government who attended Thursday's meeting noted that the committee had received more than 20,000 emails opposing the "Cyber Beach" rename over the last day. 

That included the city of Starbase, Cameron County, city and state lawmakers, the Texas Geographic Names Committee and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, which is being credited with quickly mobilizing a public outreach campaign  to oppose the effort. 

Federal officials struck down the renaming effort citing "lack of local support" and the fact that Boca Chica Beach is a "longstanding name."

The U.S. Board on Geographic Names Domestic Names Committee voted against the proposal during its monthly meeting. The decision means Boca Chica Beach will remain the official name used on federal maps and records.

Boca Chica Beach sits at the southern tip of Texas near the mouth of the Rio Grande. The beach has carried its current official name since 1936 and has long been a destination for fishing and camping along the Texas Gulf Coast.

In recent years, however, it’s become the center of SpaceX's growing footprint throughout the region. The public beach sits next to the company's Starbase launch and production complex, where SpaceX builds and tests its Starship rockets.

The name-change proposal was submitted in late 2024 by Hazel, who said the new name would recognize the beach's role in spaceflight development at SpaceX’s nearby Starbase launch site. The area has become the focus of ongoing debates over public beach access, environmental protections and Elon Musk's expanded influence in the region, particularly after voters approved incorporating the company town of Starbase in May 2025.