(The Center Square) – A bill that would authorize renaming Palm Beach International Airport after President Donald Trump has cleared both the Florida House and Senate.
House Bill 919 passed the Senate 25-11 on Thursday. The name change to President Donald J. Trump International Airport is subject to approval by the Federal Aviation Administration and the successful execution of an agreement between Palm Beach County and a trademark holder authorizing commercial use of the name.
Bill sponsor Sen. Debbie Mayfield, R-Indialantic, said the use of the president’s name would be royalty free and that he would not receive financial consideration “of any kind” for the use of his name.
Some Democratic lawmakers pushed back, saying there were still ways Trump could profit off the change.
“The main objection that I have with this bill is in the context of this trademark application that President Trump has just recently made.,” said Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando. “We know that trademark application is going to be approved. So what we’re doing here today is we’re passing a bill using millions of dollars of Florida taxpayer money that will basically help subsidize President Trump’s ability to continue to enrich himself on merchandise sales from the use of the name President Donald J. Trump Airport.”
There is no line in the bill that appropriates money to the name change. However, a bill analysis states it would have a “negative impact on local government expenditures associated with renaming” the airport.
Mayfield agreed there wouldn’t be anything stopping Trump from profiting off merchandising.
“The Trump name has been trademarked for quite a while and if you start telling him that he can’t merchandise, that is actually a free market so there’s nothing in this bill that says he can’t merchandise his own stuff,” Mayfield said. “But Palm Beach County and the airport is not going to be paying him a royalty for him merchandising his stuff.”
Other Democrats offered amendments including one that would have put off the renaming of the airport until after Trump finishes his second term in office. That amendment was shot down.
“There’s three years left in President Trump’s second term” said Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton. “A lot can happen. How do we go back and undo this if more and more is revealed about his ties to Epstein?
“It is unprecedented to have a sitting president be named for an airport.”
Others like Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, disagreed.
“I don’t think he should be penalized or we should wait simply because the people reelected him to a new term of office,” said Martin. “He finished his first term years and years ago, we can go ahead and honor him now. I think this is completely timely.”
After the bill’s passage, U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., took to social media to express her disappointment.
“It’s misguided and unfair that the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature ignored the voices of Palm Beach County by pushing forward a bill to rename Palm Beach International Airport without giving county residents a real opportunity for input,” Frankel wrote on social media. “Decisions about naming major infrastructure should wait until after an honoree’s service has concluded – and should include meaningful input from the local residents and communities most directly affected.”
