Palm Beach County looking to end lease with Donald Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course
A Palm Beach County official this week examined a contract with a Trump Organization affiliate to see if the county could end its lease with the president’s signature Trump International Golf Club in unincorporated West Palm Beach.
Howard Falcon, chief assistant county attorney, told The Palm Beach Post on Wednesday he was asked by an unnamed county commissioner about whether the lease with Trump International Golf Club could be canceled.
Falcon said he does not think the county can end its lease with Trump, who pays $88,338 a month in rent for the property.
“My initial reaction is it would be a stretch,” Falcon said.
A lawyer for Trump’s golf course on Thursday said he had spoken to Falcon and there was “no basis for canceling the lease.” The lawyer asked not to be identified by name.
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Take a look at the golf courses owned by Donald Trump
Palm Beach County’s move to explore severing business ties to Trump follows actions by private and government entities elsewhere in the country.
Trump International Golf Club is Trump’s go-to spot when he stays at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach estate. He also hosts his annual Super Bowl parties at the course and has golfed at the club with foreign dignitaries, members of Congress and administration officials. He also played the course with conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh and golf legends Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods and celebrities such as Kid Rock.
Trump owns two other golf courses in South Florida, Trump National Doral in Miami-Dade County, and Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, the former Ritz Carlton Golf Club. But Trump International Golf Club, which was built on land leased from the county, is the one he visits the most.
The county’s move followed Trump’s role in inciting last week’s siege of the U.S. Capitol that ended with one police officer killed, lawmakers fearing for their lives, and Trump impeached for a second time.
It also follows a decision by the PGA of America to take the PGA Championship event away from Trump’s golf course in Bedminster, N.J., just days after the Capitol riots.
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