President Donald Trump’s millionaire and billionaire neighbours in Palm Beach have complained that their peace and quiet has been shattered after the Secret Service requested the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to alter flight routes over Mar-a-Lago.
“It’s thundering,” said Nancy Pullum, who lives in the El Cid neighbourhood of West Palm Beach and chairs the Citizens’ Committee on Airport Noise. “It’s as if they’re accelerating when they’re right over me. You go take your trash out to your garbage can, and you realise there’s a plane right over your head, and you can see the belly of it.”
The Secret Service told The Independent they requested the flight restrictions to “ensure the highest levels of safety and security for the President”. Unlike during Trump’s first term, when the no-fly zone was only active when he was in residence, the new flight paths are in place permanently, even when he is in Washington or elsewhere. The agency did not explain the rationale for the round-the-clock restrictions, which will remain at least until next October.
Trump has long sought to change the flight patterns over his home, which had been in place for more than 70 years. Before his first presidency, he filed three lawsuits over plane noise, all later dropped. The new restrictions effectively grant his wish, though neighbours and local officials have questioned the necessity. Palm Beach County Commissioner Gregg Weiss said: “We want to do everything to protect our president, and we understand that when he’s there, this is what needs to happen. But when he’s not there, why? What’s the concern at that point?”
At a recent noise committee meeting, one resident noted: “This is an opportunity for [Trump] to seize what he’s really wanted to do for a very long time. This could be stretched for three years. It could be forever.” Most departing flights from Palm Beach International Airport now head north of Mar-a-Lago, with the changes implemented last month without prior public notice, according to Pullum.
