POTUS could provide the portal to the friendly skies in South Florida if this preemption bill passes.
Fasten your seatbelts and stow your belongings. Florida could rename, at least for branding purposes, a commercial airport for the current President of the United States.
SB 706, sponsored by Sen. Debbie Mayfield, would change the name of Palm Beach International Airport to Donald J. Trump International Airport, continuing a trend of honors for the Florida man elected to the White House.
The bill otherwise preempts airport names to the state, and keeps all other current names the same.
The name change would be contingent on approval by the Federal Aviation Administration and on an agreement between Palm Beach County and Trump for the commercial usage of his name.
Representatives of Palm Beach County spoke in support of the bill in Tuesday’s Senate Transportation Committee.
“President Trump is a major figure in Florida. I mean, he’s our first President elected from Florida. He became a Palm Beach County resident and a Florida resident officially in 2019,” said Nick Iarossi, who also noted Trump’s ownership of Trump International, Trump National Golf Club and Mar-a-Lago.
“The Palm Beach County Commission voted to rename Southern Boulevard from this very Palm Beach International Airport, to Mar-a-Lago, the Donald J. Trump International Boulevard,” Iarossi added. “So he’s had a major impact, not just on our state, but here in Palm Beach County, and it’s an honor to push forward this legislation to rename the airport after him, and would appreciate your support.”
Mayfield echoed the advocate’s comments.
The House version of this legislation (HB 919) is being carried by one of the President’s staunchest supporters, Rep. Meg Weinberger of Palm Beach.
