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One of Donald Trump’s most grandiose vanity projects, a multimillion-dollar makeover of Florida’s Palm Beach international airport into a self-aggrandizing, gold-plated transportation hub, is running into turbulence, barely a week after the first plane’s wheels touched the runway.
At first glance, the rebranding of the airport less than 5 miles from his opulent Mar-a-Lago resort appears to be complete. Its website bears the name and oversized logo of the President Donald J Trump international airport, and state transportation workers were quick to erect highway signs leaving drivers in no doubt where they were heading.
Yet inside the terminals, at the ticket counters and baggage halls, the change is far less noticeable. Digital signage reflects the switch, but many physical signs and infrastructure still refer to its old name of Palm Beach International (PBI).
There is no clear timeline of when, or even if, new signs will be installed and PBI fully becomes DJT, the three-letter airport code using the president’s initials that will be its formal aviation industry designation starting on 18 August.
The issue is money. A state law signed in March by Ron DeSantis, Florida’s Republican governor and intermittent Trump ally, mandated the name change on a reluctant county commission, which voted 4-3 in May to approve a trademark deal with the Trump Organization as some members feared consequences if they did not.
But Florida’s $117.6bn budget signed off by DeSantis last month contained only $2.75m to fund the switch, half of the estimated $5.5m overall cost. And Palm Beach county is refusing to make up the shortfall, with some commissioners insisting taxpayers cannot and should not be left on the hook.
“We will be able to make the baseline, necessary changes to signage with the $2,750,000. But for the full extensive signage, we will be needing the other half of those funds from the state,” Joseph Abruzzo, the county administrator, told the Miami Herald.
Abruzzo was speaking on 9 July, the official handover day when “Trump Force One” carrying the president’s son Eric landed just after 5am to become the first to do so under the airport’s new name.
A statement on the airport’s website, meanwhile, says that, beyond the $2.75m received in state money: “The remaining costs will be funded through the [Palm Beach county] Department of Airports’ operating budget and capital improvement program.”
It is an apparent contradiction to Abruzzo’s remarks to the media last week that no county money will be used, and has raised fears among some critics that funds earmarked for safety and other crucial improvements at the department’s four airports, which include Palm Beach international, will be siphoned off to support Trump’s glorification.
Joel Flores, one of three county commissioners to vote against the unorthodox trademark and licensing agreement in May that critics say will further enrich the president and his family, said he would attempt to block any such move.
“I will not personally be voting to utilize any operational funds towards this rebranding,” he said.
“This should be solely on the state to be able to fund this. This is their initiative. This is their imposition, their rule over a local municipality over a local airport, so they should be responsible.
“We’ve also heard that, federally, they might be sending some dollars down, but I have not seen any bills or budgets that address that. So until I see the money in the bank, I’m not going to count with it.”
Flores said he agreed with Abruzzo’s assessment that the rebranding would move forward in phases, and stall until more funds were found.
“That’s the kind of conversation I’ve had with our administrator,” he said. “If we don’t get to rebrand entirely, then that’s on them. I don’t feel that our dollars should be going to a rebrand that this board did not approve.”
Rebeca Krogman, the public information officer for the Palm Beach department of airports, said a phased approach “ensures continued progress while aligning each step with available resources”.
In a statement, she said: “As with any facility of this size, it would not be practical to list every individual sign or area that has or has not yet been updated.
“We have begun updating all digital touchpoints, including the airport’s website, social media platforms, and digital signage within the terminal. Temporary signage is also being deployed across the campus pending installation of permanent signage, including the large welcome sign on Turnage Boulevard.”
Krogman did not rule out drawing on the airports’ operating budget, but said it was not the department’s preference.
“It is our intent to continue these improvements through the airport’s normal budgeting process, primarily utilizing available external funding sources, such as the recent state allocation for signage upgrades, while actively pursuing additional opportunities, including legislative appropriations and grant funding,” she said.
The Florida department of transportation did not return a request for comment.
Two lawsuits have also been filed to try to prevent the rebranding from advancing. One is by George Poncy, a retired pilot who said that changing the airport’s identifier from PBI, which has been embedded in air traffic control and aviation navigation and management software for decades, will cause confusion that could create a safety hazard.
The other, by the trademark attorney Victoria Doyle, argues the state had no authority to impose the name change on a county-owned and -operated airport.
Doyle, who is running for the Democratic nomination for a Palm Beach congressional seat in next month’s primary election, said her case has been granted a trial date next year.
“Trump’s ego is going to demand upgrades to that airport as fast as possible,” she said.
“He’s going to want it to be the best, most beautiful, most gold-laden airport on earth, and we could be on the hook. I am suspicious of all statements about funding and wouldn’t be surprised if the county ends up paying the money.
“The airport is an extremely upsetting topic to many people here. We are a majority Democratic county, and we were not asked our opinion of this renaming. It was shoved down our throats from the state on high, and the money is a big part of why they’re so upset. Not only did we not want this rename, now we’re going to have to pay for it? It’s highly offensive to people who live here.”
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