Florida Senate approves renaming Palm Beach International Airport after President Trump amid sharp debate and $5.5M implementation plan

TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Senate on Thursday approved legislation that would rename Palm Beach International Airport as "President Donald J. Trump International Airport," a move that prompted hours of debate over precedent, local control and potential financial and reputational costs.

Sponsor Senator Katie Mayfield, who presented the committee substitute, said the change codifies a request negotiated between Palm Beach County and the Trump entities and includes language allowing the county “the perpetuity and unrestricted right to use the name President Donald J. Trump … at no cost in signage, advertising, marketing, merchandising, and promotion.” Mayfield told senators the measure requires Palm Beach County to reach a separate contract with the Trump organization and said the county would not pay royalties to the former president for airport use.

Supporters argued the bill honors a Florida resident who served as president and that airports are already named for presidents in other states. Senator Corey Gates noted that Ronald Reagan National in Washington and George H.W. Bush International in Houston were renamed without local plebiscites. Several senators who backed the bill said it is an economic and branding decision the legislature may preempt for statewide consistency.

Opponents called the proposal unprecedented and said the change should be decided locally. Senator Sarah Polsky warned that Palm Beach County residents and tourists could be harmed by a rebrand that erases local identity: “Palm Beach International Airport — those words convey what it is. President Donald J. Trump International Airport says nothing about where I live,” she said on the floor. Many speakers also raised concerns about the timing of attaching the name of a sitting president and the possibility that the trademark application and merchandising could enrich a private individual.

Senator Polsky asked where the $5,500,000 implementation cost discussed on the floor would come from. Senate sponsor Mayfield answered the appropriation would be handled in conference and funded from general revenue, and she repeatedly said the bill grants the county the right to use the name “at no cost” for airport operations.

After hours of floor debate and several late-filed amendments that were offered and rejected, the Senate voted 25–11 to pass the committee substitute for house bill 919 (the package that included the renaming language). The bill now moves to the House for consideration; the bill text says the Palm Beach name change is subject to FAA approval and a county agreement with the trademark holder.

What’s next: If the House approves the bill, Palm Beach County and the Trump entities would negotiate the specific commercial and operational terms required by the statute and—if needed—seek FAA approvals for the name change.

Vote: 25 yays, 11 nays.