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PALM BEACH, Florida – The relationship between former President Donald J. Trump and his adopted Florida hometown has been a difficult one from the start, with Mr. Trump being seen by Palm Beach officials as a bull in a store. porcelain whose presence they barely tolerated. . Things improved somewhat while he was in the White House, with the city relying on its most famous part-time winter resident.
Now that he’s been back for three weeks as a private citizen, Palm Beach was forced to answer a question he turned a blind eye to while Mr. Trump was in office: is he allowed to fully reside? time in his private practice. club a-Lago?
The answer seems to be yes.
On Tuesday, as Mr. Trump’s second impeachment trial began in the U.S. Senate, Palm Beach City Council met via Zoom to discuss whether Mr. Trump had violated a 1993 agreement that allowed him to convert his estate from Mar-a-Lago from a private residence in a club to earn money.
Lawyers for conservationists and some of its neighbors argued that the deal required Mar-a-Lago to function as a social club that no one could live in.
“This issue threatens to make Mar-a-Lago a permanent beacon for its most rabid and lawless supporters,” said Philip C. Johnston, lawyer for the Preserve Palm Beach group, referring to Mr. Trump.
City attorney John C. Randolph said nothing in the deal specifically prohibited Mr. Trump from using the property as a residence – if, as club president, Mr. Trump was considered as an employee of Mar-a-Lago.
“The language in the agreement governing the use of guest suites for members for limited periods of time does not apply to this situation,” Mr. Randolph said.
The city council did not take a vote. But it was clear that MPs had no desire to fight with the former president, if he even wants to live here all year round. South Florida is on display in February, but less so in August.
“It does not appear to me that there has been a violation,” said Margaret A. Zeidman, chair of the board.
For a swanky barrier island known for its low profile, even talking about the controversy seemed to frighten officials. A previous agenda item alluded to the notion of unsightly parking along Worth Avenue, the city’s shopping street lined with designer boutiques. (Valet parking is much preferred.) What to do about Mr. Trump was the last topic discussed.
“I can only hope that once again courtesy, courtesy and partnership will enter the community,” said Mayor Gail L. Coniglio at the start of the meeting.
John B. Marion, an attorney for Mr. Trump, warned that if Mr. Trump was banned from living in Mar-a-Lago, he could move to one of the many other homes he owns nearby, creating a greater security problem for the neighbors. .
Since leaving Joint Base Andrews in Maryland for the last time on the morning of January 20, Mr. Trump has spent time golfing or meeting people in Mar-a-Lago. On Sunday night, he was filmed making an appearance among club guests during the Super Bowl, wearing a costume, as he almost always does at the club.
On Tuesday, a masked policeman watched over the entrance to Mar-a-Lago. A few Trump campaign signs have remained high on utility poles along the former presidential motorcade route to West Palm Beach.
Mr Trump’s neighbors would have been more welcoming after his presidency if he had not instigated his supporters who then stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, said Laurence Leamer, a longtime Palm Beach resident who wrote a book on Mar-a-Lago.
“The majority of the people who voted for him on the island, they voted for him because they want low taxes and a boiling stock market,” he said. “But with the insurgency, people didn’t want to be around him.
There are discussions that Mar-a-Lago members are no longer going to the club and considering letting their membership expire, but “no one wants to say it publicly,” Leamer said.
“Charities will not be coming back,” he predicted, referring to organizations that have held fundraisers at the club. “It’s not worth the risk because you know that at least half of your members will not be happy with your choice of location.”
But others in Palm Beach County believe there are bigger issues to be addressed.
Jennifer McGrath, of Jupiter, sent a letter to the editor of the Palm Beach Daily News last month, criticizing the newspaper for what she saw as critical coverage of Mr. Trump.
“There are a lot of people who are not sorry with her life there,” Ms. McGrath said in an interview. “It’s ridiculous. He has the right to live where he wants to live, where he has a residence.”
Maggie Haberman contributed reporting from New York. Kitty bennett contributed to the research.
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