Palm Beach Approves Permanent Helipad at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago

The latest clash between President Donald Trump and Palm Beach ended in the president’s favor after the town agreed to allow him to keep his helicopter landing pad at Mar-a-Lago beyond his presidency.

Lawyers for the Palm Beach estate and Trump’s security team lobbied officials to keep the helipad, which Palm Beach forced him to remove after his first term, Bloomberg reported.

The U.S. Secret Service asked to reinstall the helipad last year and asked that it be permanent in April. The town council approved the request on Tuesday, despite initial concerns about noise and the potential of it turning into Trump’s personal heliport.

In an April debate, Palm Beach Mayor Danielle Moore said Trump only used the helipad twice during his first term. She was worried the helipad would allow significant helicopter traffic, which she wasn’t sure the town could control.

The helipad will stay, but its use will be restricted. After Trump’s term ends, the landing pad can only be used for emergencies, and Mar-a-Lago guests and members of the private club will not be allowed access to it. The first violation will cost the club $15,000, with each subsequent violation increasing the fine by $10,000.

Palm Beach councilwoman Julie Araskog said of the agreement that their main goal is to protect the president and keep the town free of any issues the helipad might cause, Bloomberg reported.

Trump has been battling with Palm Beach ever since he bought Mar-a-Lago in the 1980s.

In 1985, Trump filed a lawsuit against the town over airport noise and expansion plans. That case was settled after the county agreed to lease land to Trump, according to Moneywise.

In 2006, Palm Beach County fined Trump for a massive American flag planted in Mar-a-Lago’s front lawn, Politico reported. Trump ignored the fine, which was $250 per day, allowing it to rack up to $120,000. He called Palm Beach unpatriotic and filed a $25 million lawsuit against the city. He eventually dropped the lawsuit, and Palm Beach waived the fine.

But the president was back with another major lawsuit in 2015. He sued Palm Beach County for $100 million, claiming the county’s airport director was routing flights directly over Mar-a-Lago out of spite. He voluntarily dropped the lawsuit in 2016.

Mar-a-Lago is a real estate hotspot, with sales in the estate’s security zone totaling over $118 million last year, The Real previously reported.

Also last year, the Trump administration leased three Palm Beach houses in the area. In May, former White House aide Tony Sayegh bought a home in the zone for $17.1 million.

Mar-a-Lago attorney Harvey Oyer negotiated the terms of Palm Beach County and Trump’s latest arrangement.

— Grace McClung