Trump to return to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach this weekend: FAA notice
Former President Donald Trump will come back to his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach this weekend, according to a new Federal Aviation Administration notice.
Temporary flight restrictions are scheduled to go into effect at 7:45 p.m. Saturday, lasting through 10:45 p.m. Aug. 9, for "VIP movement" in an area with Mar-a-Lago as its center, according to the notice posted Thursday.
Trump, the Republican nominee for president, has been at his club in Bedminster, New Jersey, for about a week. He typically spends most of his time there during the summer, preferring it over Mar-a-Lago, which closes to club members during Palm Beach's off-season.
He will return to Palm Beach after traveling to Atlanta for a campaign rally with his vice presidential running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.
Mar-a-Lago is Trump's official residence.
He most recently was at Mar-a-Lago last week, when he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a two-hour visit, the pair's first in-person get-together since Trump left office.
The FAA issues flight restrictions for a variety of reasons including protection of the president and vice president, and to clear airspace for military and safety reasons, such as to fight wildfires.
The most recent flight restrictions follow an increase in security measures around Mar-a-Lago following the July 13 attempted assassination of Trump as he spoke at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, shot at Trump from the roof of a nearby building, injuring Trump's ear and shooting three of the former president's supporters, killing one. The U.S. Secret Service shot and killed Crooks.
Among the increased security measures are a larger law enforcement presence around Mar-a-Lago at all times, including when Trump is not there, and the indefinite closure of South Ocean Boulevard near the club, extending from the traffic circle at Southern Boulevard north to the intersection of South County Road. Officials have said that closure will be in effect through at least the Nov. 5 general election.
According to the FAA's most recent notice, the airspace over Mar-a-Lago is protected for reasons of national defense, and pilots who violate the restrictions may be intercepted, detained and interviewed by law enforcement.
The flight restrictions over Mar-a-Lago in Trump's post-presidency are less intense than those that went into effect during his term in office.
Now, the restrictions extend out in a 5-nautical-mile ring from Mar-a-Lago, with no pilots allowed in that space except for those that are arriving or departing from Palm Beach International Airport; or operating as part of law enforcement, firefighting, air ambulance, or other safety or emergency reasons.
From late 2016 until early 2021, the flight restrictions included a strict no-fly zone with a 1-nautical-mile radius around Mar-a-Lago. Less strict but still restricted airspace extended out first to a 10-nautical-mile radius, and then 30 nautical miles, a space that included Palm Beach International, Palm Beach County Park Airport in Lantana, North County General Aviation Airport, Boca Raton Airport and the Aero Club in Wellington.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Trump to return to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach this weekend: FAA notice
