Trump plans new office in Jupiter; is he moving more operations there?
Former President Donald Trump is planning to build a new office complex in Jupiter that could cost up to $15 million to construct.
The proposed three-story office property would be built on a parking lot at the northeast corner of Donald Ross Road and Alternate A1A at Trump National, according to John Sickler, Jupiter planning and zoning director. The club is just east of the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in the Abacoa community.
“We look forward to adding this beautiful building to our already amazing property and club, Trump National Golf Club Jupiter,” Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization, said Wednesday in a written statement.
The low-rise building would consist of 45,000 square feet of space, according to the project’s architect, Rick Gonzalez of REG Architects in West Palm Beach. Gonzalez said the offices would be used for Trump’s Florida club operations, which currently operate out of small office space at Trump National.
Details of the plans come as lawyers for New York’s attorney general said that Trump announced for the first time that several Trump companies formerly operating in New York now have the Trump National Golf Club address at 115 Eagle Tree Terrace in Jupiter as their headquarters. In a March 11 filing in New York state court, the lawyers said the attempted “relocation” effort proves Trump cannot be believed when he promises his assets will never be “secreted” out of New York.
The plans for the new building have been coalescing even as Trump, who is the 2024 presumptive Republican nominee, is mired in a legal battle in New York over a nearly $500 million bond requirement.
The financial instrument is needed as Trump appeals a New York state ruling that found the family empire, The Trump Organization, culpable of a wide-ranging and complex business fraud. Last month, New York state Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump to disgorge a staggering $354.8 million in what he determined were ill-gotten profits.
Engoron concluded that Trump’s business engaged in a yearslong conspiracy to deceive banks and insurers about the size of his wealth and the value of his properties. These properties include Trump Tower in Manhattan, Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, and Trump’s U.S. golf clubs, including Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, according to court documents.
Trump has appealed the decision, but must put up the bond covering the amount, plus daily interest, pending a higher court review of the case.
The former president’s attorneys, in a filing this week, said Trump’s bid to obtain the bond had been turned down by more than two dozen agencies. They have asked the court to settle for a bond in the amount of $100 million.
On Tuesday, Trump again railed at the predicament in his former home city. Trump again insisted he “built a great company” with “some of the greatest assets in the world” especially in the real estate space. He repeated assertions that the trial was “rigged” against him.
“We’re fighting it out with them,” he said after casting a vote at a polling location in Palm Beach. “We have a lot of cash and we have a great company but they want to take it away, or at least take the cash away ... so I can’t use it on the campaign.”
He added: “It’s election interference, and we’ll see how the courts rule on it.”
Trump’s Florida operations include Trump National, Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach and the Mar-a-Lago private club in Palm Beach. Trump also owns Trump National Doral in Miami-Dade County.
Both Trump sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, executive vice presidents of the Trump Organization, already work out of the Jupiter club offices, according to the company’s website.
Both men also live in Jupiter. Eric lives in the Trump National residential community and Donald Jr. lives in the nearby Admirals Cove enclave.
Gonzalez said the new office building is large enough to also could accommodate other unspecified Trump operations.
Dave DeMay, senior vice president of Kast Construction in West Palm Beach, said the new offices could cost between $12 to $15 million to construct.
Plans aren’t yet submitted to the Town of Jupiter, but they could be filed in April, Gonzalez said.
The office building will require more than just a simple design approval by Jupiter.
Sickler said the property is zoned only for residences. Therefore a proposed office building would require several layers of review and approval. This includes a land-use amendment as well as a zoning change, he said.
While the Jupiter development moves forward, Trump’s ownership of some of his real estate holdings could be put in question. If the lower bond amount is rejected, Trump might have to sell real estate assets, or risk having them seized by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Legal experts say James isn’t limited to trying to seize properties in New York, however. All Trump properties used in connection to the loans could be seized, including his properties in Florida.
Trump’s presence in Jupiter dates to 2012, when he bought the former Ritz-Carlton club for $5 million.
His ownership of the former Ritz club quickly became contentious 65 former members sued the renamed club, claiming Trump’s company refused to refund their refundable membership deposits and blocked them from using the property.
After a federal court trial, U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra in 2018 ordered Trump’s company to pay former members $5.8 million in damages. The former members settled in 2019 for $5.4 million.