By Jesse Scheckner
Days into budget negotiations, lawmakers remain split over a relatively small funding request to help local police cover the mounting costs of protecting President Donald Trump at his Trump National Doral Miami resort and golf club.
The House is proposing $375,000 — half of what city officials are seeking.
The Senate, meanwhile, has offered nothing.
Doral, thorough matching appropriation forms filed by Miami Springs Sen. Bryan Ávila and Hialeah Rep. Alex Rizo, wants $750,000 in nonrecurring state funds to offset overtime costs for its Police Department when Trump and other dignitaries visit the city.
Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez, who recently accepted a job leading the Miami Police Department, signed off on the requests, which came just months after attempted assassin Ryan Routh was sentenced to life in prison for attempting to shoot Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club in September 2024.
The episode intensified security operations around Trump’s Florida properties, including Doral, where he has made frequent appearances, including at this year’s PGA Tour Cadillac Championship.
The tournament’s winner, Cameron Young, described the resort as “crawling” with agents and police, with some security personnel blocking his usual path to the locker room.
“The goal of this project is to secure overtime funding for expenses incurred by the Doral Police Department during POTUS and dignitary-related events at the Trump National Doral Resort,” the House request states, adding that the funds would help the Department “recover costs associated with providing security support to federal agencies during elevated national-security operations.”
Doral has committed $500,000 in local funds toward the effort and is asking the state to cover the remaining 60% of a projected $1.25 million total.
The money would go almost entirely toward officer overtime for those assigned to presidential and dignitary protection details.
Trump National Doral, the applications note, “routinely hosts U.S. and international dignitaries and attracts large crowds, protesters, and supporters.”
Lawmakers approved $250,000 for similar protection costs in Doral last year — all of which Gov. Ron DeSantis later vetoed.
If cleared for the funds this year, the city said it does not expect to seek recurring state support in future years.
Ávila and Rizo did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Lobbyist Heather Turnbull of Rubin Turnbull & Associates worked on the appropriations requests.
The Legislature’s budget Special Session began Tuesday and is expected to run through May 29.
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