Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition

What’s it like when Trump visits South Florida?

- By Skyler Swisher Staff writer

Here’s a refresher of 10 things you should know about Trump and South Florida: Where’s he staying? Spanish for sea-to-lake, Trump’s 18-acre Mar-a-Lago estate spans from the Intracoast­al Waterway to the Atlantic Ocean in Palm Beach. Built in 1927 as a home for cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweath­er Post, the National Historic Landmark was purchased by Trump in 1985 and converted to a private club that doubles as his part-time residence. When Trump was elected, the cost of a membership to the Mar-aLago Club doubled to $200,000. How can you catch a glimpse of the president? Southern Boulevard is a popular spot to gather and watch his motorcade pass. During previous visits, Trump ventured to his golf club near the intersecti­on of Summit Boulevard and Congress Avenue in West Palm Beach. His wife, Melania, toured the Morikami Gardens in West Delray with Akie Abe, the wife of the Japanese prime minister. Trump attended Easter and Christmas Eve services at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-theSea in Palm Beach. That church is also where the president and the first lady were married, and their son, Barron, was christened. Where can you see Air Force One? Trump will arrive at Palm Beach Internatio­nal Airport this afternoon and is expected to leave Sunday night. For all that time, the president’s plane will be parked on the tarmac, and you can catch a glimpse of Air Force One while driving by on Southern Boulevard. What roads should you avoid? Expect road closures when Trump is in town. State Road A1A will be blocked in front of Mar-aLago. Trump has a helicopter landing pad for his presidenti­al helicopter Marine

One. So far, he’s chosen to travel to and from Mar-aLago by motorcade. Marine One has already been spotted at the airport this week. The aircraft typically travels with the president — both domestical­ly and abroad. Boating restrictio­ns will also be in place in the Intracoast­al and ocean waters near Mar-a-Lago. What other restrictio­ns

are in place? Commercial air traffic will continue as normal, but small planes will be grounded at nearby Lantana Airport, which is only a few miles from Mara-Lago. Banner-towing aircraft, sightseein­g planes and flight training are prohibited within a 30-mile radius of Mar-a-Lago when the president visits. In February, a sonic boom caused by military jets scrambling to enforce the restrictio­ns rattled Broward County residents. A Palm Beach County report estimated businesses at the Lantana airport lose about $30,000 in revenue during a weekend presidenti­al visit.

How often will Trump be here? The White House doesn’t discuss the president’s travel plans, but based on his presidency so far, he’ll frequent Mar-a-Lago during Palm Beach’s peak season, which runs from Thanksgivi­ng through about Easter. Since becoming president, Trump has spent 25 days at Mar-a-Lago. He made his first visit as president to attend the Red Cross Ball (it won’t be at Mar-a-Lago this year) on Feb. 4. His last visit came on Easter weekend. Who else could be com

ing? Trump has hosted world leaders in Palm Beach County. He had a golf outing with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in February. In April, he met with the Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago. The Chinese leader stayed at Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Manalapan. Efforts to get detailed records of Mara-Lago’s visitor logs have been unsuccessf­ul. In response to a lawsuit filed by government watchdog groups, a Secret Service

official said in an affidavit that “a review of records confirmed that there is no system for keeping track of presidenti­al visitors at Mara-Lago, as there is at the White House.” What does Trump do

when he’s here? The president likes to golf. He’s hit the links with the Japanese prime minister and champion golfer Ernie Els. Trump likes to go to events at his properties. He attended a Super Bowl party at his golf course near West Palm Beach. In February, Trump made headlines when he was captured on social media discussing a nuclear test by North Korea with the Japanese prime minister in the middle of a social function at Mar-a-Lago. And of course, Trump will tweet, just as he does everywhere he goes. How much will it cost us? Local taxpayers are footing some of the bill to protect Trump when he visits. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office estimates that Trump’s visits to Mar-a-Lago since Election Day have cost county taxpayers about $4 million. Some relief has been provided from the federal government. Palm Beach County law enforcemen­t agencies are getting about $1 million to offset the cost of protecting Trump when he visited as president-elect. Congress approved $41 million to reimburse state and local law enforcemen­t agencies that incurred “extraordin­ary costs” protecting the president’s residences in Florida, New Jersey and New York. Palm Beach County has applied for $3.5 million.

What about protests? A

group of about 100 hit the streets of West Palm Beach to protest Trump’s policies earlier this month — even before the president’s arrival. Unlike previous visits, Bingham Island, which provides the closest accessible point to Mar-a-Lago, will be closed because of a constructi­on project to replace the Southern Boulevard bridge.

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