For the Palm Beach County Sheriff, Ric Bradshaw, and his deputies, the routine has become all too familiar. Almost every Tuesday in recent weeks, the Federal Aviation Administration has released a formal “notice to airmen” on its website alerting of upcoming flight restrictions over South Florida, once again signaling to those tasked with his protection that Donald Trump is en route to Mar-a-Lago for another weekend of golf.
The president returns to his waterfront mansion this weekend, marking his sixth visit to Florida and the cherished golf courses he owns since his inauguration on January 20.
His increasingly frequent and disruptive trips back home are quickly becoming a burden on county resources, requiring Bradshaw to deploy helicopters, additional manpower, and boats to patrol both sides of Trump’s luxurious mansion, nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, almost around the clock.
The requests from the Secret Service to ensure the safety of Trump, along with his family and entourage, are “substantial,” Bradshaw informed county commissioners last month, just before the president’s prolonged six-day visit.
“They ask for it, and we provide it. It’s costly, but we don’t really have a choice,” Bradshaw remarked.
The sheriff’s office did not immediately offer the Guardian a detailed breakdown of its expenses, but the daily overtime costs alone have been previously reported to be around $240,000.
Commissioners granted Bradshaw’s “urgent request” for $45 million to ensure security for Trump’s visits through November, an amount he stated is likely to increase.
“We’ve already received some indications that he may be spending more time here than in Washington,” Bradshaw noted.
“You can definitely expect him to bring in global leaders. This represents a significant change in the cost of security.”
Although the Palm Beach bill is already considerable, it pales in comparison to the federal expenses involved in accommodating the commander-in-chief’s travel desires. This includes his multimillion-dollar trip to the Super Bowl in New Orleans last month and attendance at the NASCAR Daytona 500 weeks later, which critics deemed an extravagant photo opportunity.
Whenever he wishes to travel, the presidential aircraft, Air Force One, is prepared and staffed, accruing an hourly operational expense of nearly $200,000, according to a 2022 Air Force assessment.
With approximately a two-hour flight time from Washington, D.C., each round-trip to Palm Beach International Airport costs taxpayers around a million dollars, factoring in an additional cargo flight for the presidential motorcade and the transportation of Trump from the White House to Joint Base Andrews via Marine One helicopter.
Additionally, the most recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report estimated that federal agencies spent an average of $13.6 million for each of the four Trump excursions to Mar-a-Lago that were audited during his first term, with a portion of those funds benefiting Trump directly.
In 2017, he spent four of his first seven weekends in office golfing in Florida; this year, the count has already hit six.
Noah Bookbinder, president of the watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), which tracked over 500 visits by Trump to his properties during his first term, remarked that this pattern is already reemerging.
“Our starting premise is that presidents are entitled to Secret Service protection wherever they go, and their transportation should be covered. There’s nothing inherently problematic about that when engaging in various activities,” he stated.
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“However, significant issues arise. One is that he continues to own his businesses, meaning this is not simply visiting the president’s residence; it’s going to his conducting business where payments are made directly to a business that benefits him.”
“We want the presidency to be the primary focus for the president. While it is not unreasonable for presidents to take time off to recharge like anyone else, visiting personal business properties shifts the focus, at least potentially, away from official duties to the promotion and management of his business endeavors.
“This represents a different set of concerns beyond just how frequently he takes weekends off or how often a president plays golf.”
Robert Weissman, co-president of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, voiced similar apprehensions, highlighting instances of Trump excessively charging the Secret Service to stay at his properties during his first administration.
“As much as wasting taxpayer resources on excessive vacationing is concerning, there’s also the issue of self-enrichment from payments made to Mar-a-Lago by agents who are there for security.”
“Of course, Trump famously criticized Barack Obama for golfing, which was primarily local and didn’t entail plane travel. Our strong preference is that Trump travels to Florida, and remains there for his retirement.”
In the end, Palm Beach County anticipates reimbursement from federal funds for the expenses incurred while protecting the president. However, that offers little consolation to residents who are currently paying the costs and enduring road closures and other disruptions every weekend.
Trump’s regular visits to Mar-a-Lago, which he refers to as his “winter White House,” were scrutinized by journalist Victoria De Cardenas last month during a news segment titled “Wa$te Watch” on CBS12 in Palm Beach.
“We believe it’s worth assessing whether, for the sake of taxpayers and commuters who have faced highway shutdowns during Friday night rush hour multiple times recently, he could perhaps spend a bit more time in the actual White House,” she suggested.
