Construction is underway for President Donald Trump’s helipad at his Winter White House, but it won’t be ready in time for his next weekend stay in Palm Beach.
The Marine One helipad will likely be completed by late spring or early summer on the club’s west lawn of the historic Mar-a-Lago estate. It will allow the president to take a helicopter from Palm Beach International Airport to the island instead of being driven, lessening traffic caused by his visits.
Since Trump took office, he’s visited Palm Beach for three weekends and will return again this weekend.
Even with the helipad, Secret Service will still mandate road closures around Mar-a-Lago and the Southern Boulevard Bridge will be shut down while the helicopter is in the air, the Palm Beach Daily News reported.
The Palm Beach Town Council and the National Trust for Historic Preservation approved the helipad earlier this year. At a meeting in February, several Palm Beach residents expressed concerns about the potential for noise and wind damage caused by helicopters flying in and out of Mar-a-Lago.
The helipad will be 50 feet long, 8 inches thick and is 300 feet away from any property line. [Palm Beach Daily News] – Katherine Kallergis