Less than three months after GOP lawmakers blocked an attempt to prevent President Donald Trump from profiting off the renaming of a major South Florida air hub, local policymakers OK’d a deal allowing him to do just that.
Palm Beach County Commissioners narrowly approved a trademark agreement clearing the way for renaming Palm Beach International Airport as Donald J. Trump International Airport.
The 4-3 decision, with “yes” votes from all three Republicans on the panel and Democrat Maria Sachs, marked the first time the Commission formally weighed in on the renaming, which the Legislature approved earlier this year.
The agreement, signed by Trump days earlier, grants the President’s company significant control over how his name and likeness are used as part of the airport’s rebranding.
It allows Trump to approve or reject marketing materials that reference his biography and requires airport retailers to obtain branded merchandise only from vendors designated by his trademark entity.
Critics said those provisions go beyond typical trademark arrangements and could create avenues for indirect financial benefit, even as Trump’s organization has pledged not to profit from on-site sales tied to the airport.
Because the deal is non-exclusive, it leaves open the possibility that Trump-affiliated entities could sell airport-branded goods outside the facility.
County officials defended the agreement as a legal safeguard, saying it was necessary to comply with the state law while reducing the risk of litigation.
The law, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed in late March, makes the renaming contingent on both federal approval and a finalized trademark deal between the county and Trump’s company.
Still, some Commissioners raised concerns about the lack of a termination clause, noting that the county could be locked into the agreement indefinitely unless state law changes.
Others pointed to unresolved questions about which vendors would be approved to supply merchandise and how oversight would work in practice.
The state’s role in driving the renaming has been central to the dispute. GOP lawmakers pushed through a bill greenlighting the airport rechristening and preempting local control over major airport names statewide in February.
Democrats argued the bill — sponsored by Melbourne Sen. Debbie Mayfield and Reps. Meg Weinberger of Palm Beach Gardens and Kim Kendall of St. Augustine — would impose unnecessary costs and logistical burdens.
A few proffered amendments that their cross-aisle peers roundly rejected. Two such proposals that Miami Gardens Sen. Shevrin Jones filed ahead of the bill’s final Committee stop in mid-February would have barred Trump from making money off the airport’s name.
Jones had previously voted for the bill, but said he no longer had the “appetite or gut” to support the legislation after reading reports about Trump filing trademark applications related to the airport renaming and seeing the President post a racist video depicting former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama as gorillas.
“This is not about honoring the President. This is about generating revenue from a public entity for a private company, a company with Donald Trump’s interest at the helm, and not the people of the state of Florida,” Jones said at the time. “This has everything to do with the state of Florida figuring out what our litmus test is going to be when we say (what) enough is enough is supposed to be. I would think members, that this is where enough stops.”
Every GOP member of the Senate Rules Committee voted against Jones’ amendments. They also blocked proposals to delay the renaming until Trump leaves office or to require a local referendum.
Supporters of the measure framed the renaming as a fitting tribute. Weinberger, nicknamed “MAGA Meg” for her support of and from Trump world, told Florida Politics in January that the change reflects his ties to Palm Beach and his tenure in office.
“This is a tribute to his leadership, his legacy,” she said, adding that the airport’s proximity to Mar-a-Lago made the designation appropriate. “You know how much he loves our country, and it’s his hometown.”
But the effort represents a notable departure from historical norms. While U.S. airports have been named after former Presidents during their lifetimes — including Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton — there has not previously been a case of a major airport being renamed for a sitting President.
It has happened outside of America, however, like in Nigeria, which renamed an airport in Minna after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2024.
County officials estimate the renaming will cost about $5.5 million, covering signage changes, system updates and coordination with airlines and federal agencies. The bill (HB 919) does not specify a funding source, and the 2026-27 state budget has yet to be finalized.
Sachs, Mayor Sara Baxter, Vice Mayor Marci Woodward and Commissioner Maria Marino voted “yes” on the measure Tuesday.
Commissioners Joel Flores, Bobby Powell and Gregg Weiss voted “no.”
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