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His impeachment trial was unfolding thousands of miles away, but the “mayor of Mar-a-Lago” was also facing another inquisition.
Is Donald Trump allowed to reside in his private resort in Florida, where he flew from the White House on January 20, on Air Force One without even attending Joe Biden’s inauguration?
Palm Beach City Council spent nearly seven hours Tuesday examining issues important to the wealthy island community: the availability of the coronavirus vaccine.
Revitalize the upscale downtown shopping district. Even the durability of the Belgian tile used on a new walking trail and the danger posed by falling coconuts when the palm trees get too tall.
Each agenda item prompted a litany of questions, comments and observations, except one: whether the former US president can continue to live in his club in Mar-a-Lago.
While arguably the most controversial among residents and the most interesting nationally and internationally, the matter took no more than half an hour of council time – at the end of the meeting.
The five-member council has not made a decision on the issue, which has been put on the agenda amid complaints from neighbors that Trump’s presence will hurt property values.
It is unclear whether the council will address the matter further, although a lawyer representing the residents has requested – unanswered – that he be allowed to make a more comprehensive presentation in April. Neighbors could also sue the city and Mar-a-Lago.
City attorney Skip Randolph said nothing in the club’s 1993 deal with Palm Beach prohibited Trump from residing there.
“It’s a debate that I find really silly,” Randolph said.
He said the former chairman would be considered a bona fide employee of the entity.
“This guy, as he walks around the property, is like the mayor of Mar-a-Lago. He’s always there, ”Randolph said during his virtual presentation to city council on Tuesday.
He and Trump’s attorney John Marion said the city allowed clubs and resorts to provide on-site housing for their employees and that Trump, as president of Mar-a-Lago, was responding to the situation.
But Philip Johnston, a lawyer who said he represented a group of residents called Preserve Palm Beach, said neighbors at the club feared Trump’s residence would turn Mar-a-Lago into “a permanent beacon for his supporters. more rabid and lawless “, destroying the” distinguished “character of the city.
Many well-off residents live in flamboyant mansions with staff and ornate decor, driving their Rolls-Royces to white tablecloth restaurants and upscale fashion and jewelry stores.
Some claim that when he got permission to turn the 126-room mansion into a club 28 years ago, Trump promised through a lawyer that he would not live in Mar-a-Lago.
But Marion said that provision was omitted from the final written agreement in exchange for Trump’s pledge to be financially responsible for preserving the property if the club failed.
He also warned that if by “the slightest” chance Trump was kicked out of Mar-a-Lago, he would likely move into one of the other nearby homes he owns.
The Secret Service bubble that now resides behind the gates of Mar-a-Lago is said to be on their streets, he said.
“There would be barriers in front of this property. There would be guards and secret service personnel… There would be dogs sniffing vehicles, ”Marion said. “It would be a horrible tax for them [the neighbors] if they got what they wanted.
But the neighbors, at least according to their lawyers, are ready to seize this opportunity.
Trump bought Mar-a-Lago for $ 10 million in 1985 from the estate of Marjorie Merriweather Post, owner of grain giant General Foods.
The mansion had deteriorated after her death in 1973, when she left it to the U.S. government as a possible presidential vacation home. The government returned it in 1981.
After Trump bought it, he spent millions improving the property while living there part time.
In the early 1990s, however, Trump was in financial distress. Real estate prices have plummeted and several of its businesses have flopped, including a New Jersey casino.
In 1993, Trump and the city agreed he could turn the estate into a private club. It would be limited to 500 members – the registration fee is now $ 200,000 and the annual membership fee is $ 14,000.
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