Florida lawmakers OK renaming Palm Beach County airport after President Trump

Abigail Hasebroock, South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Feb 19, 2026

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Florida lawmakers have approved renaming the Palm Beach International Airport to President Donald J. Trump International Airport — a move expected to cost as much as $5.5 million.

The Florida Senate on Thursday approved legislation that would honor the president by renaming his hometown airport, which is just a few miles west of his Mar-a-Lago estate. It comes two days after the Florida House approved the bill. It’ll be up to Gov. Ron DeSantis to sign the measure into law.

Melbourne Republican Sen. Debbie Mayfield, who sponsored the Senate bill, had submitted a funding request to the state requesting the full $5.5 million. Lawmakers are expected to negotiate how much is actually spent over the next few weeks, Politico reported.

Mayfield’s funding request includes $250,000 for rebranding consultants involving overhead announcements, emergency messaging and telephone system updates. Another $250,000 is sought to rebrand equipment, vehicles, marketing materials and uniforms.

“The airport will need resources to complete the renaming,” Mayfield’s funding proposal states. “In addition to signage, branding elements, and website updates, the airport will also make technology updates require, including overhead and emergency messaging systems and passenger processing systems, to ensure full and consistent implementation of the new airport name.”

Actual final costs may vary, Palm Beach International Airport spokesperson Rebeca Krogman said in an email.

Mayfield is among the state Republicans who pushed for the bill’s passage. She said the president has delivered strong results, “decisively for our state and our nation.”

She also said the airport was a good match for his name. “Remember, he is a resident of Palm Beach County,” Mayfield said. “He has had real estate in Mar-a-Lago for years in Palm Beach County before he made this his permanent residence.”

Meanwhile, Democrats criticized the plan for many reasons, including the price tag.

The “$5.5 million could pay for the infrastructure in my district that’s so desperately needed,” Sen. Shevrin Jones, a South Florida Democrat, said during Thursday’s legislative discussion. “But we found that money to be able to pay for the name change on the airport, and it’s disheartening to me because when I go back home into my district, the one thing that I have to tell them is that we could not bring this money home again, but we could pay $5.5 million to change the name on the airport.”

Democrats also argued the renaming decision should at least wait until after Trump is out of office, raising issues with his past conduct.

U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel called the approval of the bill “misguided and unfair” in a statement on Thursday.

“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 said. “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.”

Palm Beach County’s response

For some Palm Beach County officials, though, the change doesn’t burden or, quite frankly, concern them.

“I really do not see the name on our airport right now as a priority,” Palm Beach County Commissioner Maria Sachs said. “I’ve got so many other issues that are pressing and that affect my residents directly.”

Sachs, who is heading to Washington, D.C., in coming days to meet with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to talk about county housing solutions, believes the focus is misplaced.

“Sometimes we make much ado about issues that are really not priority,” she said. “It’s like (worrying about) what do you make for dinner when the oven is on fire.”

Last week, Sachs said she welcomes the renaming as long as the state pays for it “because our county citizen had no opportunity to opine on it, discuss it or vote on it.”

The Trump Organization has made clear that the county would not have to pick up the tab for the license agreement required for the name change. The Trump Organization also filed a trademark application for the new airport name to protect it from being infringed or misused.

“They will not charge us a penny,” Palm Beach County Administrator Joseph Abruzzo said. “We anticipate a smooth transition. … I genuinely believe the president is humbled and honored that his hometown airport will bear his name.”

Though the county’s airport is “financially self-sustaining” and receives no county tax dollars, the airports director reports to Abruzzo, who makes any operational decisions.

Policy decisions for the airport are determined by the County Commission.

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