County considers special tax for Trump's Mar-a-Lago visits

Commissioners in a Florida county are so tired of spending money on President Donald Trump's frequent visits to his Mar-a-Lago resort that some are suggesting a special tax be levied against the property if the federal government doesn't reimburse its costs.
Palm Beach County spends more than USD 60,000 a day when the president visits, mostly for law enforcement overtime -- almost USD 2 million since January. Sheriff Ric Bradshaw says the county was expected to spend USD 250,000 during Trump's recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the president's sixth trip to his Winter White House in the 12 weeks since his inauguration.

County Commissioner Dave Kerner has suggested turning Mar-a-Lago into a special taxing district and imposing a levy on the resort to pay the president's security costs. Because Mar-a-Lago is incorporated as a club, it pays lower property taxes than hotels. It also gets a tax break because Trump surrendered development rights after he purchased the property from the estate of cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post for USD 10 million in 1985.
The 500 members pay USD 14,000 annually in dues and the initiation fee was recently doubled to USD 200,000. Forbes Magazine estimates the club is now worth USD 150 million.

"We're very honoured to have the president here, but at the same time, his travel here is such high frequency he's not visiting Palm Beach County, he's governing from it," Kerner told Money magazine recently. "Whatever our priorities are, the taxpayers didn't pay this money to us to protect the president."
Kerner did not return numerous calls from The Associated Press to his office.

The sheriff believes the federal government will eventually reimburse the county, but can't be certain.
"I had a personal conversation with the president in February and he understands," Bradshaw said. "There is a system in place and, unfortunately, that involves Congress...And that is not an easy thing to navigate through. I am sure they will get around to it."

Local governments aren't the only ones complaining. No solution has been found for the 28 business owners at Lantana Airport, a small field for propeller planes about 10 kilometres from Mar-a-Lago. The Secret Service shutters it every time Trump visits Mar-a-Lago because agents believe the 350 flights it handles daily pose a security risk.
Marian Smith, who owns a flight school, says she has lost almost USD 100,000 because of the closures. A banner-towing company that operates from the airport says it has lost over USD 40,000 in contracts.
Jonathan Miller, the contractor who operates the county-owned airport, said this week that he believes a compromise will be worked out with the Secret Service, the Federal Aviation Administration and other agencies that would allow the airport to operate with restrictions during presidential visits.

"The FAA has a strong incentive to work with us and help get some funding that will put a system in place that will appease the Secret Service," Miller said.