County considers special tax for Trump's Mar-a-Lago visits

County considers special tax for Trump's Mar-a-Lago visits

By terry spencer, associated press
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Apr 10, 2017, 12:46 PM ET

Commissioners in a Florida county are so tired of spending money on President Donald Trump's frequent visits to his Mar-a-Lago resort that some are suggesting a special tax be levied against the property if the federal government doesn't reimburse its costs.

Palm Beach County spends more than $60,000 a day when the president visits, mostly for law enforcement overtime -- almost $2 million since January. Sheriff Ric Bradshaw says the county was expected to spend $250,000 during Trump's recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the president's sixth trip to his Winter White House in the 12 weeks since his inauguration.

County Commissioner Dave Kerner has suggested turning Mar-a-Lago into a special taxing district and imposing a levy on the resort to pay the president's security costs. Because Mar-a-Lago is incorporated as a club, it pays lower property taxes than hotels. It also gets a tax break because Trump surrendered development rights after he purchased the property from the estate of cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post for $10 million in 1985.

The 500 members pay $14,000 annually in dues. The initiation fee was recently doubled to $200,000. Forbes Magazine estimates the club is now worth $150 million.

"We're very honored to have the president here, but at the same time, his travel here is such high frequency he's not visiting Palm Beach County — he's governing from it," Kerner told Money magazine recently. "Whatever our priorities are, the taxpayers didn't pay this money to us to protect the president."

Kerner did not return numerous calls from The Associated Press to his office.

The sheriff believes the federal government will eventually reimburse the county, but can't be certain.

"I had a personal conversation with the president in February and he understands," Bradshaw said. "There is a system in place and, unfortunately, that involves Congress ... and that is not an easy thing to navigate through. I am sure they will get around to it."

Local governments aren't the only ones complaining. No solution has been found for the 28 business owners at Lantana Airport, a small field for propeller planes about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from Mar-a-Lago. The Secret Service shutters it every time Trump visits Mar-a-Lago because agents believe the 350 flights it handles daily pose a security risk.

Marian Smith, who owns a flight school, says she has lost almost $100,000 because of the closures. A banner-towing company that operates from the airport says it has lost over $40,000 in contracts.

Jonathan Miller, the contractor who operates the county-owned airport, said this week that he believes a compromise will be worked out with the Secret Service, the Federal Aviation Administration and other agencies that would allow the airport to operate with restrictions during presidential visits.

"The FAA has a strong incentive to work with us and help get some funding that will put a system in place that will appease the Secret Service," Miller said.

The cost of Trump's visits divides local residents, with the schism often falling along political lines. Trump's supporters say any money spent by the county is recouped through added visitors lured by the frequent exposure and his visits show he cares about the area.

"The fact that he comes down here, the fact he is involved in the community to this extent even though he is the president, I think that's great," said Julian Detwiler, who operates produce stands at local farmers markets. "There are costs associated with everything. It doesn't cost the country or the community more for him to (visit) than lots of other things we do. It keeps the economy going."

The president's critics say the visits illustrate his hypocrisy as he frequently slammed President Barack Obama's trips, even though they were less frequent and didn't burden any single community.

"Trump is costing this area so much money, a hell of a lot of money, and he doesn't seem to give a damn," said Bob Brink, a novelist and retired local journalist.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/c...isits-46705397

I thought West Palm Beach was sort of a ritzy area. Apparently not. Poor things.

:)

Quote:

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"We're very honored to have the president here, but at the same time, his travel here is such high frequency he's not visiting Palm Beach County — he's governing from it," Kerner told Money magazine recently. "Whatever our priorities are, the taxpayers didn't pay this money to us to protect the president."

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That's true, but we are paying for Camp David! Camp David is supposedly one of the most secure places in the world and we taxpayers are paying a butt load of money to maintain it.

What can President Trump do at Mar-a-Lago that he can't do at Camp David?

https://whitehouse.gov1.info/camp-david/

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MW

That's true, but we are paying for Camp David! Camp David is supposedly one of the most secure places in the world and we taxpayers are paying a butt load of money to maintain it.

What can President Trump do at Mar-a-Lago that he can't do at Camp David?

https://whitehouse.gov1.info/camp-david/

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Maybe be able to have meetings he has good reason to believe is not being recorded????

I'm not sure I would trust Camp David either.

Although, this is much ado about nothing. They would probably be having marching bands every time if Pres. Obama, Clinton, or GW Bush was coming that often.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nntrixie

Maybe be able to have meetings he has good reason to believe is not being recorded????

I'm not sure I would trust Camp David either.

Although, this is much ado about nothing. They would probably be having marching bands every time if Pres. Obama, Clinton, or GW Bush was coming that often.

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I don't think his failure to use Camp David has anything to do with trust.

Personally, I'd like to see our tax dollars spent more wisely, but you're entitled to your opinion. Due to Trump's security needs the Secret Service is asking for a 60 million dollar increase in their annual budget. This is sort of ironic coming from someone who wants to save us money, don't you think?

It's because he has a large family. Secret Service protects the whole Trump family. Eric and Don's families. Tiffany. Jared and Ivanka. In addition to Trump, Melania and Barron. Not sure what you're driving at MW. Sounds like you resent Secret Service Protection for Trump and his Family. Wow.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Judy

It's because he has a large family. Secret Service protects the whole Trump family. Eric and Don's families. Tiffany. Jared and Ivanka. In addition to Trump, Melania and Barron. Not sure what you're driving at MW. Sounds like you resent Secret Service Protection for Trump and his Family. Wow.

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No, but what I do sort of resent is the expanded cost his security is costing in relation to past presidents. The presidents security is paid for by our tax dollars and all I'm saying is he should consider that fact when he wants to take his weekly jaunts to his "lovely" Mar-a-Largo. Like I said in an earlier post, Camp David is one of the most secure places on earth. It is only a 30 minute helicopter ride from the White House lawn. From what I understand 8 million dollars a year of our tax dollars go to maintain Camp David.

CBS NEWS February 21, 2017, 11:40 AM

Trump's Mar-a-Lago trips cost taxpayers about $10M so far


Budget watchdogs are criticizing the cost of President Trump’s visits to Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach, Florida. Mr. Trump has been at his so-called “Winter White House” the past three weekends. That’s 11 of his first 33 days in office. The travel has an estimated price tag of $10 million.

Between Secret Service and police surrounding the estate, and the U.S. Coast Guard in the surrounding waters, Mar-a-Lago is a fortress when the president is here. The White House won’t disclose the exact cost of Mr. Trump’s visits, but the $10 million estimate is based on figures from a similar trip by President Obama in 2013.

Air Force One accounts for a big chunk of the presidential travel budget, costing more than $180,000 per hour to operate, reports CBS News correspondent Manuel Bojorquez. That means the roughly four-hour roundtrip flight to his seaside estate costs more than $700,000.

“If he’s going down there every weekend, the costs are going to add up pretty quickly,” said Tom Fitton, president of watchdog group Judicial Watch. Fitton is pressing the administration to release Mr. Trump’s travel costs.

“He doesn’t need to go to Florida every weekend. He can work at the White House or up at Camp David,” Fitton said.

Mr. Trump often attacked his predecessor over his travel. He once tweeted: “President @barackobama’s vacation is costing taxpayers millions of dollars---Unbelievable!”

Four years ago, a weekend Mr. Obama spent in South Florida cost taxpayers $3.6 million. The Pentagon spent about $2.8 million for Air Force One plus support aircraft and military personnel. The Secret Service and the Coast Guard added nearly $800,000.

During his eight years in office, Mr. Obama racked up about $97 million in travel costs. Mr. Trump is on pace to eclipse that by the end of his first year.


Another cost of keeping Mr. Trump safe? Disruptions to businesses near Mar-a-Lago. The airspace around Lantana Airport in Palm Beach County is restricted whenever the president is in town. On an average day, there are around 300 takeoffs and landings. But when the president is there, nothing’s moving — except the bottom line for businesses that operate out of this airport. They say they lose about $30,000 each weekend they’re closed.

Others welcome the presidential visits to Palm Beach. Ed Kassatly owns a boutique in the ritzy Worth Avenue shopping district.

“President Trump will bring many more high-end visitors to the community, which is definitely going to help everyone on a high economic scale,” Kassatly said.

Regardless of who is in office, presidential trips are never cheap. Clearly, the president must be kept safe. But he also needs to travel with a large contingent of aides so he can continue running the government, especially during emergencies.


© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/presiden...yers-millions/
http://cbsnews3.cbsistatic.com/hub/i...ago-promo.jpg#

Trump's private helicopter lands on new helipad built for Marine One at Mar-a-Lago

By CAITLIN YILEK (@HAUSOFCAIT)

4/9/17 10:37 AM

http://content.newsinc.com/jpg/491/3...g?t=1491697440

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A Trump-branded helicopter on Saturday used for the first time a helipad that was built for Marine One at the president's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

President Trump was not on the helicopter that landed, according to the Palm Beach Daily News.

A spokesman for the Palm Beach Fire-Rescue told the news organization that he was surprised about the landing, and Secret Service had asked for a fire engine to be on standby.

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"This was not something we knew was coming," Sean Baker said.

He added that Trump's private helicopter would be staged at the resort until Sunday.

The construction on the helipad began in February. The helipad allows Trump to fly in Marine One from Palm Beach International Airport to avoid tying up traffic with his motorcade.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tr...rticle/2619797

That really is a beautiful place. I totally understand why he wants to invite people there for his important meetings. It's a much safer environment, it's one he controls, no White House "leakers". It's definitely the place for Trump and his important guests for high level talks.

I would have no problem reimbursing the poor little town of West Palm Beach. No reason for them to suffer. Not all places can afford to be the home of a President of the United States. I always thought West Palm Beach was a ritzy upscale place, but apparently not, poor things.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Judy

I thought West Palm Beach was sort of a ritzy area. Apparently not. Poor things.

:)

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Mar-A-Largo is in the town of Palm Beach, a rich area in Palm Beach County.

Palm Beach
Town in Florida

The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth. Wikipedia

Weather: 73°F (23°C), Wind E at 15 mph (24 km/h), 56% Humidity

Population: 8,649 (2013)

Apparently not rich enough to be the home of a President of the United States. Even New York City was whining, so they can't afford to be the home of a President of the United States either. Poor things.

LOL!!! Oh no, it's not the money, it's the politics!! Palm Beach County is a Democrat strong-hold. Check this out:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_B...ounty,_Florida

2016 Presidential Election Vote:

Democrat: 56.4%
Republican: 40.9%

Poor Snowflakes.

Hilarious. Whine, Whine, Whine.

West Palm Beach Declares Itself 'Welcoming City' For Immigrants

By PETER HADEN • MAR 28, 2017

• http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net...3/IMG_0916.jpgWest Palm Beach City Commission hears comments from citizens on a proposal to declare West Palm Beach a "Welcoming City" for immigrants.
  
• PETER HADEN / WLRN
  

West Palm Beach is officially a “Welcoming City” for immigrants.

The city commission passed a resolution Monday that bars city employees – including police – from inquiring into a person’s immigration status, or disclosing it to others.

The resolution is an attempt by the commission to reduce the fears of undocumented immigrants in the community and it was approved the same day that the Justice Department announced it is following through with an executive order to withhold as much as $4.1 billion in federal grants from so-called "sanctuary cities."

Read more: Attorney General orders Crackdown On 'Sanctuary Cities,' Threatens Holding Funds

“We want to make sure people know that they are safe here in West Palm Beach, and that this is a place where we want them to be,” said Mayor Jeri Muoio.

West Palm Beach attorney Victoria Mesa-Estrada says President Trump’s executive order to step up deportations has local immigrant communities wary of working with the justice system.

“Last week I had a client who was talking to me about her daughter being sexually molested,” said Mesa-Estrada. “Because the mother is undocumented, she had a real fear of going to the police.”

Read more: Six Federal Grants To South Florida That Trump Could Threaten Under Sanctuary Cities Order

But West Palm Beach resident Brett Borders says this resolution will encourage more illegal immigration.

“What you’re doing is not welcoming,” said Borders. “I know it feels good…but what you’re proposing is not sustainable. I think of it as a huge sellout to the citizens of West Palm Beach.”

Commissioner Sylvia Moffett hopes other South Florida cities will follow their lead and pass similar resolutions.

The School District of Palm Beach has already taken steps to ensure that schools are considered "safe harbors" from immigration raids.

"We don’t ask people about their immigration status—it’s actually against the law to ask that. We don’t know, and neither will we share information with any individual department unless we are required by law, and the school board stands with me on that here in Palm Beach County," said school superintendent Robert Avossa in an interview with WLRN.

http://wlrn.org/post/west-palm-beach...ity-immigrants

Oh sickening. If they've got money for "immigrants", then they can pay their police to secure the damn area around Mar-A-Lago and shut up. Trump flies in his helicopter to save them from having to block roads for the motorcade. Plus I really don't understand about all this "over-time" they whine about. Don't they have police on the beat 24 hours a day? I would sure think so. Maybe they need to double-up during the visits and have more people around Mar-A-Lago? I thought we were paying Secret Service to do that.

I'm beginning to think some of the "cost reports" are fake news. I was thinking about Trump's 80 some days in office and he's made a few trips out into the country for plant expansion announcements. He's been to New York a couple of times right after inauguration since the transition team was operating out of there, but hasn't even been to his home in New York for weeks. He's been out to some rallies but the campaign paid for that. He's been to Florida many times but working the whole time, entertaining foreign guests and other important VIPS to push his agenda forward for US and I understand why he chooses Mar-A-Lago for those, it's more private, more comfortable, and so beautiful. It's one of his real homes and very nice for the people he's visiting with, much safer and easier to get in and out of as well. I mean the White House has been breached twice. Mar-A-Lago also has better security and more privacy, no White House "leakers".

Trump hasn't made any foreign trips has he? I don't think so. So I really don't understand how the costs could be so much more than other Presidents who traveled all over the world for weeks at a time. It's nothing for a 757 to fly from DC to Florida. It's a 2.5 hour flight. So where is all the expense coming from?

Trump family’s elaborate lifestyle is a ‘logistical nightmare’ — at taxpayer expense

By Drew Harwell, Amy Brittain and Jonathan O'Connell February 16


On Friday, President Trump and his entourage will jet for the third straight weekend to a working getaway at his oceanfront Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla.

On Saturday, Trump’s sons Eric and Don Jr., with their Secret Service details in tow, will be nearly 8,000 miles away in the United Arab Emirates, attending the grand opening of a Trump-brand golf resort in the “Beverly Hills of Dubai.”

Meanwhile, New York police will keep watch outside Trump Tower in Manhattan, the chosen home of first lady Melania Trump and son Barron. And the tiny township of Bedminster, N.J., is preparing for the daunting prospect that the local Trump golf course will serve as a sort of northern White House for as many as 10 weekends a year.

Barely a month into the Trump presidency, the unusually elaborate lifestyle of America’s new first family is straining the Secret Service and security officials, stirring financial and logistical concerns in several local communities, and costing far beyond what has been typical for past presidents — a price tag that, based on past assessments of presidential travel and security costs, could balloon into the hundreds of millions of dollars over the course of a four-year term.

Adding to the costs and complications is Trump’s inclination to conduct official business surrounded by crowds of people, such as his decision last weekend to host Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for a working dinner while Mar-a-Lago members dined nearby.

The handful of government agencies that bear the brunt of the expenses, including the Defense and Homeland Security departments, have not responded to Washington Post requests for data laying out the costs since Trump took office.

But some figures have dribbled out, while others can be gleaned from government documents.

Trump’s three Mar-a-Lago trips since the inauguration have probably cost the federal treasury about $10 million, based on figures used in an October government report analyzing White House travel, including money for Coast Guard units to patrol the exposed shoreline and other military, security and staffing expenses associated with moving the apparatus of the presidency.

Palm Beach County officials plan to ask Washington to reimburse tens of thousands of dollars a day in expenses for deputies handling added security and traffic issues around the cramped Florida island whenever Trump is in town.

In New York, the city is paying $500,000 a day to guard Trump Tower, according to police officials’ estimates, an amount that could reach $183 million a year.

This month, The Post reported that Secret Service and U.S. Embassy staffers paid nearly $100,000 in hotel-room bills to support Eric Trump’s trip to promote a Trump-brand condo tower in Uruguay.

“This is an expensive way to conduct business, and the president should recognize that,” said Tom Fitton, president of the conservative group Judicial Watch, which closely tracked President Barack Obama’s family vacation costs and said that it intends to continue the effort for the Trump administration.

“The unique thing about President Trump is that he knows what it costs to run a plane,” Fitton added, noting that Trump should consider using the presidential retreat of Camp David, a short helicopter ride from the White House, or even his golf course in Northern Virginia. Of Mar-a-Lago, Fitton said, “Going down there ain’t free.”

For Trump, the costs come with an additional perk: Some of the money flows into his own pocket. While Trump has removed himself from managing his company, he has refused to divest his ownership, meaning that he benefits from corporate successes such as government contracts.

[Documents confirm Trump still benefiting from his business]

The Defense Department and Secret Service, for instance, have sought to rent space in Trump Tower, where leasing a floor can cost $1.5 million a year — though neither agency has disclosed any details. In addition, Trump’s travel to his signature properties while trailed by a press corps beaming images to the world allows the official business of the presidency to double as marketing opportunities for his brand.

The White House did not address broader concerns of the costs and potential conflicts inherent in Trump’s early travels. But White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told The Post this week that Trump is always working, even when he has left Washington behind.

“He is not vacationing when he goes to Mar-a-Lago,” Grisham said. “The president works nonstop every day of the week, no matter where he is.”

Trump’s frequent travel belies his repeated criticism of Obama as a “habitual vacationer” enjoying taxpayer-funded golf getaways. It also comes after his own promises: He told the Hill newspaper in 2015, “I would rarely leave the White House because there’s so much work to be done.”

Presidential families have for decades been guaranteed round-the-clock protection, no matter the expense or destination. Every presidency has brought new operational challenges and lifestyle habits, from George W. Bush’s frequent stays at his remote ranch in Texas to Obama’s annual trips to Martha’s Vineyard and his native state of Hawaii. Judicial Watch estimated that Obama-related travel expenses totaled nearly $97 million over eight years.

But based on the first four weeks, Trump’s presidency appears on track to cost hundreds of millions of dollars more.

The burden is especially acute for the Secret Service, the presidential protection force that has endured years of budget short*ages, low morale and leadership shake-ups, including the announcement this week that its director, Joseph Clancy, is stepping down.

Agents are now tasked with guarding multiple homes and protecting Trump’s four adult children, including the globe-trotting sons running the family business and daughter Ivanka, whose family recently moved into a Northwest Washington neighborhood.

“There was an anticipation of how stressful it was going to be on the agency, but the harsh reality is that the stress is just overwhelming,” said Jonathan Wackrow, a 14-year Secret Service employee who served in Obama’s detail and now works as executive director of the risk-mitigation company RANE.

Even veteran agents, Wackrow said, are feeling the pressure of the “monumental” task, including manning high-security perimeters in Washington, Florida and New York, along with protecting family members’ private-business travel across three continents.

“It’s a logistical nightmare,” Wackrow said. Agents are “at severe risk of burnout, and the very last thing you want is to have your agents burned out.”

A Secret Service spokesman said the agency is equipped to handle the demands of a Trump presidency. “Every administration presents unique challenges to which the Secret Service has effectively adapted,” according to an agency statement. “Regardless of location . . . the Secret Service is confident in our security plan.”

Experts and local officials have pointed to security and logistical concerns surrounding Mar-a-Lago, the lavish estate that Trump turned into a club in 1995 and now calls the “Winter White House.”

Club members pay $200,000 to join — a fee that has doubled since his election — and $14,000 a year to belong, giving them access to the beach, tennis courts, a spa and, now, on occasional weekends, to the president.

But Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), who represents Palm Beach, said Mar-a-Lago is a poor choice for a president’s long-term home: an exposed oceanfront club on a narrow, busy island, where traffic problems were already routine.

“Mar-a-Lago is no Camp David,” Frankel said. “It’s not set up with the intention or the forethought of keeping the president safe.”

The challenges for Mar-a-Lago as a presidential home were apparent from pictures posted on social media last weekend by club guests — including close-up images of the presidential limousine and a picture of a military official carrying the nuclear “football.”

In one Instagram video recorded Friday night outside Mar-a-Lago, a woman fawns as men with earpieces inspect under the hood of a line of cars heading into the club: “The Secret Service is so hot.”
The weekend brought the presidential entourage to two other Trump properties, as Trump and Abe golfed 27 holes at the president’s courses in Jupiter and West Palm Beach. The events meant global publicity for the Trump brand — and even more security complications.

The federal and local governments have spent considerable sums to help safeguard the sprawling estate on items big and small.

In advance of Trump’s Super Bowl weekend trip to Mar-a-Lago, the Secret Service paid for a bevy of security costs, including more than $12,000 for tents, portable toilets, light towers and golf carts, purchase orders show.

The bills have racked up outside the club, too. Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said Trump’s 25 days in the county since the election have cost local taxpayers about $60,000 a day in overtime police payments.

Local officials said the U.S. Coast Guard has run round-the-clock shoreline patrols alongside Mar-a-Lago when the president is in town. A Coast Guard spokesman declined to share costs or specifics, citing security concerns.

The Town of Palm Beach recently implemented a “presidential visit seasonal traffic mitigation plan” in hopes of stemming the island’s worsening traffic woes. Running every weekend until May, the plan includes a town order demanding sanitation and public-works crews leave the island every Friday by 3 p.m.

Local officials usually learn only a few days in advance that the president is coming, said Kirk *Blouin, the town’s director of public safety. “We plan as if he is going to be here most weekends,” Blouin said, “because otherwise it’s too hard to plan.”

Overseas travel by Trump’s adult sons is adding to the burden on taxpayers.

Eric Trump and his security detail flew this month to the Dominican Republic, during which the president’s son met with developers proposing a Trump-brand luxury resort. Purchase orders showing government expenditures for that trip are not yet available, but records show that Secret Service officials traveled there in advance to scope out the area — staying at the five-star, oceanfront AlSol Del Mar hotel at a cost of $5,470.

After this weekend’s trip to Dubai — during which early Secret Service hotel bills have already surpassed $16,000, records show — the Trump brothers will travel to Vancouver, B.C., for the Feb. 28 grand opening of another Trump-brand skyscraper.

[Eric Trump’s business trip to Uruguay cost taxpayers $97,830 in hotel bills]

The State Department has declined to provide details related to its expenditures for Trump family travel around the world, including the participation of embassy staffers when Eric Trump and Don Trump Jr. travel on behalf of the family business.

The best public estimate for the full cost of Trump’s presidential getaways may come from a U.S. Government Accountability Office report in October, which estimated that a four-day trip for President Obama cost taxpayers more than $3.6 million.

During that Presidents’ Day weekend trip in 2013, Obama flew to Chicago to give an economic speech, then to Palm City, Fla., to golf with Tiger Woods and the owner of the Houston Astros baseball team.

That money went toward operating aircraft flown in from 10 states — including Air Force One, which costs an estimated $200,000 an hour to fly — as well as assorted watercraft, military working dogs, rental cars, hotel rooms and a Coast Guard rescue helicopter.

The trip drew the ire of many Republicans in Congress, including Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), who requested that the GAO review Obama’s costs. Asked whether Barrasso would file a similar request for Trump’s trips, his spokeswoman said equating the two presidents’ trips would be “misleading at best.”


“Former President Obama flew to Florida for the express purpose of a golf lesson and a round of golf with Tiger Woods. President Trump was in Florida with the Prime Minister of Japan,” Barrasso’s press secretary, Laura M. Mengelkamp, said in a statement. “Regardless, every level of the federal government needs to be mindful of the way it spends taxpayer dollars.”

In November, when Trump spent a weekend at his Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., the 8,000-resident township received just 48 hours’ notice demanding an all-hours security detail of six police officers from its 16-officer force.

Township officials have begun preparing for the possibility that Trump will make up to 10 visits this year, including a potentially extended summer stay for the first lady. Officials there offered a projection, based on seven Trump trips, that could cost the township more than $300,000.

“Bedminster is a small municipality with a small police force and a small budget,” Mayor Steven E. Parker (R) wrote in a letter asking for federal help in recouping security costs. “We want to welcome President Trump with open arms, but we don’t wish to burden our taxpayers disproportionately for these visits.”

David A. Fahrenthold and Carol D. Leonnig contributed to this report.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/trump-familys-elaborate-lifestyle-a-logistical-nightmare--at-taxpayer-expense/2017/02/16/763cce8e-f2ce-11e6-a9b0-ecee7ce475fc_story.html?utm_term=.470a9a4c2513

I'm really disappointed that the security of our President and his Family is such a big deal to people. I do think communities should be reimbursed their over-time expenses but it should be done under a pre-arranged, negotiated security agreement with the federal government on a schedule that applies to all police departments. GSA is very good at this type of contract, so they need to get on that and solve this problem for the communities.

We knew this was coming.

The many trips Pres. Obama took, with his family were not a problem.

Just those of Pres. Trump - some things just need to be ignored.

I think I understand why he goes to Florida. With all the leaks, wiretapping, surveillance that he has had on him, would you go to Camp David where the CIA, FBI, other alphabet departments have had access for decades? I don't think so.

Every log,light fixture, bathroom, shrub and flower is probably wired.

I wouldn't.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nntrixie

We knew this was coming.

The many trips Pres. Obama took, with his family were not a problem.

Just those of Pres. Trump - some things just need to be ignored.

I think I understand why he goes to Florida. With all the leaks, wiretapping, surveillance that he has had on him, would you go to Camp David where the CIA, FBI, other alphabet departments have had access for decades? I don't think so.

Every log,light fixture, bathroom, shrub and flower is probably wired.

I wouldn't.

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Actually they were:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...t-taxpayers-3/

http://www.wnd.com/2015/03/38-obama-...g-us-millions/

https://www.quora.com/How-much-did-O...-US-presidents

http://dailycaller.com/2014/07/05/th...ash-on-travel/

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/oba.../04/id/470102/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/1...n_1158825.html

https://www.rt.com/usa/obama-africa-trip-cost-176/


The articles go on and on. Yes, folks did have a problem with Obama's vacation costs. However, if things continue as they are now, Trump will surpass Obama's cost by a wide margin.

Florida mulls taxes on Mar-a-Lago to cover Trump’s pricey visits

POSTED 5:12 PM, APRIL 10, 2017, BY TRIBUNE MEDIA WIRE

TOPSHOT – US President Donald Trump (L) pumps his fist as he and Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) walk together at the Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Florida, April 7, 2017. (JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

By Meg Wagner

$250,000 to host China’s president

Florida lawmakers have proposed imposing special taxes on President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort to help cover the costs of security for his frequent visits — an already-expensive task that becomes even pricier when he’s entertaining other world leaders.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw estimated that Trump’s visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday and Friday cost a whopping $250,000, including at least $120,000 per day in overtime pay for law enforcement officers. Extra police security costs $60,000 a day when Trump travels without another dignitary by his side.

Lawmakers anxious about the rising costs have proposed rezoning the oceanfront club into a special tax district with rules requiring it to pay for the president’s visits. Palm Beach County Commissioner Dave Kerner suggested the idea to the county’s attorney office, which is now investigating its feasibility.

“We’re very honored to have the president here, but at the same time, his travel here is such high frequency he’s not visiting Palm Beach County — he’s governing from it,” Kerner told Money magazine. He did not mention how much the new tax might bring into the county or specify exactly where the new zone’s boundaries would sit.

While Palm Beach County currently foots the bill for the added security, the federal government has promised to pay back the costs later. But commissioners said they’re not sure when they’ll see those reimbursement checks. During a recent phone call with local lawmakers, federal officials provided no details on when or how the county would get its money back.

“They were polite, but that’s where they stopped,” county commissioner Mary Lou Berger told the Palm Beach Post. “I did not get a lot of encouragement.”

Massive security in two states

Trump purchased Mar-a-Lago — formerly the private residence of Marjorie Merriweather Post, the heiress to the Post Cereal fortune — in 1985 for $10 million. He developed it into a private club, which pays a lower property tax rate than hotels; his family maintains a private wing in the mansion, while the resort has rooms and bungalows available to members and their guests.

Each of Mar-a-Lago’s 500 members pay $14,000 in dues each year, and new members must fork over a $200,000 initiation fee. The club is worth an estimated $150 million.

Trump has already made six visits to Mar-a-Lago, which he has dubbed his “Winter White House,” since he took office in January. Palm Beach County estimated that it has shelled out almost $2 million in overtime police work alone for 12 weeks’ worth of visits. That doesn’t include other security measures — including barriers and other security supplies — which has totaled more than $570,000 so far. If Trump’s travel to and from Florida (which is covered by federal funds, and not from Palm Beach County specifically) is included in the tally, the price of a single visit to Mar-a-Lago balloons to $3 million, meaning the six visits have cost taxpayers a whopping $18 million.

But Mar-a-Lago isn’t the only Trump property that needs a presidential security detail — and Florida isn’t the only state paying a fortune to keep the first family secure.

First Lady Melania Trump has not moved into the White House, but remains at Trump Tower in New York City, where the couple’s 11-year-old son, Barron, is enrolled in school. Estimates on how much it costs to protect the just the two of them range between $127,000 and $149,000 per day.

That price tag balloons to $308,000 when Trump is in the city. Police spent $24 million between election day and his inauguration to protect the president-elect and his family. New York City officials said that, so far, they’ve only been reimbursed $7 million.

Who’s visiting the “Winter White House”?

But that’s not the only controversy caused by Trump’s frequent trips outside of Washington, D.C. Critics say that the taxpayer-funded visits are too secretive.

A new lawsuit filed Monday demands that the Trump administration release its visitor logs, both for the White House and for Trump’s private residences in Florida and New York City.

Former President Barack Obama’s White House was the first to release that information, issuing them in one-month chunks, three months after the fact. If the Trump administration continues that tradition, the first logs would be due out at the end of the month — but the White House has not said if they will make those records public.

Democrats have taken a special interest in the Mar-a-Lago logs, since the swanky venue has long attracted wealthy business people, celebrities and even foreign leaders. Trump’s critics claim that the public has a right to know who is visiting the “Winter White House,” especially if so much taxpayer money is funding the president’s trips there.

Mar-a-Lago staffers, however, have insisted that they cannot release the visitor logs because they do not keep such records.

While they keep track of visitors’ names, they do not ask for birthdays or Social Security numbers — details that are standard in the White House logs maintained by the Secret Service.

Democrats were not pleased. “If the Secret Service can’t keep track of who has access to the president outside the White House then that’s a national security concern,” Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) said in March after demanding the resort begin logging guests. It’s unclear if the Mar-a-Lago staff or the Secret Service have started a more thorough guest log.

http://wgntv.com/2017/04/10/florida-...-visits-tmwsp/

APR 13 2017, 2:54 PM ET

Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Hit With 13 Health Violations in January

by ANDREW RAFFERTY

President Donald Trump may want to consider swinging by the kitchen when he visits his plush Mar-a-Lago resort this weekend.

Florida health inspectors found more than a dozen violations during a Jan. 26 check of the Palm Beach, Florida estate, according to recently published reports from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulations.

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Trump's trips to Mar-a-Lago: How much are they costing taxpayers? 4:23


Three of those violations were labeled high priority, meaning they could contribute to foodborne illness.

The club did, however, meet the minimum standards to remain in operation.

The high-priority violations for the club, which has a $200,000 initiation fee, were:

• Fish prepared to be served raw or undercooked had "not undergone proper parasite destruction." The inspectors ordered that the fish either be fully cooked or discarded.
• Raw meats in two of the club's coolers were over, some significantly, the regulated 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Ham was measured at 57 degrees, beef and duck were both at 50, and poultry warmed to 49. One walk-in cooler was mistakenly set to defrost, according to the report.
• Inspectors told kitchen staff to empty broken coolers and not use again until they're fixed.

The inspection came about two weeks before Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Mar-a-Lago and dined openly as resort members snapped pictures of the two leaders responding to a ballistic missile test by North Korea.

Trump also hosted Chinese Chinese President Xi Jinping there last week.

The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"These infractions were part of a routine inspection and were not complaint-based," Stephen Lawson, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulations' communications director said in a statement. "The infractions were corrected on site, and the establishment was immediately brought into compliance."

Despite Trump's frequent visits to Mar-a-Lago, the club has seen an uptick in violations since the former real estate tycoon entered politics.

An April 2016 inspection found 11 violations, though none were deemed high priority. Two violations were found during a December 2015 inspection, four during an April 2015 check, four in December 2014, and none in June 2014. Just one violation during those inspections was high priority.

Trump was often involved in the day-to-day operations of the resort before entering politics, according to the Miami Herald, which first reported on the violations. Trump would go into the kitchen and offer directions to staff.

Since entering the Oval Office, Trump still makes frequent trips to what has been dubbed the "Southern White House." The president will have spent 28 percent of his term traveling to or staying at Mar-a-Lago after his visit this weekend, according to an NBC News estimate.

Watchdog groups have raised concerns about the ethics and cost of Trump's repeated trips to his own property, which has doubled membership costs since Trump entered the Oval Office.

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/poli...anuary-n746051

Quote:

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Watchdog groups have raised concerns about the ethics and cost of Trump's repeated trips to his own property, which has doubled membership costs since Trump entered the Oval Office.

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Why don't you make yourselves useful and watchdog the border? You might save a job or the life of an American.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MW

I don't think his failure to use Camp David has anything to do with trust.

Personally, I'd like to see our tax dollars spent more wisely, but you're entitled to your opinion. Due to Trump's security needs the Secret Service is asking for a 60 million dollar increase in their annual budget. This is sort of ironic coming from someone who wants to save us money, don't you think?

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I can see how it would. As I said, there is no way I would want to have private meetings where the 'intelligence' communities have had access for decades. I'd wonder if that tree is really a tree or is it a communication center for eavesdropping.

Yes, probably it does have something to do with his larger family and I can see some resentment there, but that's the way it goes.

I do remember, though, when Pres. Bush was in office, everyone in this area knew when he would be coming to his 'ranch'.
The fighter planes and helicopters would be in the air constantly for 2 weeks before he came.

So there are costs and then there are costs.

Of course, some of the increase might have to do with the fact his life has been threatened, and there has been a lot of talk about violence against him.

I realize a President, and the family, has a target on their backs - it goes with the territory. I have never heard so many threats, call for violence, and vitriol spewed out against a President before. The threat may be more real than before.

It's unreal the hatred for a man who wants nothing but to help US fix our poor beleaguered country. You know, he knew it would be hard, I'll never forget that slight quiver in his voice when he said "sooooooo" and that deep sigh after his announcement speech right before he announced he was running for President. What a dear wonderful man to do this for us at this point in his life.

Rust, mold, parasites: Trump's Mar-a-Lago cited for 78 health violations in the last three years

Associated Press

Unsafe seafood. Insufficiently refrigerated meats. Rusty shelving. Cooks without hairnets.

Reports show Florida health inspectors cited President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort with 15 violations in late January, days before the U.S. leader hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for a diplomatic visit.

Still, the state inspectors allowed the luxury resort's main restaurant and beach club grill to remain open as staff scrambled to make several immediate corrections.

Among the "high priority" problems described as "potentially hazardous" were faulty fridges with meats stored well above the required 41 degrees Fahrenheit. For example, in the restaurant's walk-in cooler, the duck and beef were measured at 50 degrees, while a ham was at 57 degrees.

Other issues included smoked salmon being served without undergoing "proper parasite destruction" and a hand washing sink for employees with water that was not hot enough.

Stephen Lawson, spokesman for the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, said the violations were the result of a routine inspection and not prompted by any consumer complaints or food-borne illnesses.

"The infractions were corrected on site, and the establishment was immediately brought into compliance," Lawson said on Thursday.

The January inspections were not the first time authorities have found problems at Mar-a-Lago. Over the last three years, records show the club has been cited 78 times for violations that included chefs handling food without washing their hands, dirty cutting boards, a slicer "soiled with old food debris" and an "accumulation of "black/green mold-like substance" in the ice machine.

Lawson said inspectors will return to Mar-a-Lago for another unannounced visit before the end of the year.

The Trump Organization, which operates the family's business empire, did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. The violations were first made public weeks ago, but received broader attention this week following a report in the Miami Herald.

Trump is a frequent visitor to his private club in Palm Beach.

The president often refers to the property as the Winter White House. He hosted a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping there last weekend, where Trump said the men shared a "beautiful" chocolate cake while discussing the U.S. cruise missile strike on Syria.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/nation...413-story.html

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

Rust, mold, parasites: Trump's Mar-a-Lago cited for 78 health violations in the last three years

Associated Press

Unsafe seafood. Insufficiently refrigerated meats. Rusty shelving. Cooks without hairnets.

Reports show Florida health inspectors cited President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort with 15 violations in late January, days before the U.S. leader hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for a diplomatic visit.

Still, the state inspectors allowed the luxury resort's main restaurant and beach club grill to remain open as staff scrambled to make several immediate corrections.

Among the "high priority" problems described as "potentially hazardous" were faulty fridges with meats stored well above the required 41 degrees Fahrenheit. For example, in the restaurant's walk-in cooler, the duck and beef were measured at 50 degrees, while a ham was at 57 degrees.

Other issues included smoked salmon being served without undergoing "proper parasite destruction" and a hand washing sink for employees with water that was not hot enough.

Stephen Lawson, spokesman for the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, said the violations were the result of a routine inspection and not prompted by any consumer complaints or food-borne illnesses.

"The infractions were corrected on site, and the establishment was immediately brought into compliance," Lawson said on Thursday.

The January inspections were not the first time authorities have found problems at Mar-a-Lago. Over the last three years, records show the club has been cited 78 times for violations that included chefs handling food without washing their hands, dirty cutting boards, a slicer "soiled with old food debris" and an "accumulation of "black/green mold-like substance" in the ice machine.

Lawson said inspectors will return to Mar-a-Lago for another unannounced visit before the end of the year.

The Trump Organization, which operates the family's business empire, did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. The violations were first made public weeks ago, but received broader attention this week following a report in the Miami Herald.

Trump is a frequent visitor to his private club in Palm Beach.

The president often refers to the property as the Winter White House. He hosted a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping there last weekend, where Trump said the men shared a "beautiful" chocolate cake while discussing the U.S. cruise missile strike on Syria.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/nation...413-story.html

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Perhaps he can take care of those problems now that he has raised membership fees. :p

"The Trump-owned Mar-a-Lago resort raised its initiation fee to $200,000 this month, double the cost from a year ago. And management says membership is hovering at about 480 people -- close to the cap of 500."

http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/26/news/trump-mar-a-lago-hotels/index.html

Should Trump be making a profit off his elected position while actively sitting in the White House? Maybe he can use some of that extra money to help secure Mar-a-Lago.

Mar-a-Lago Has Three Bomb Shelters Built During the Cold War

http://cdn.newsmax.com/CMSPages/GetF...axsidesize=600
Mar-A-Lago (AP Images)

By Bill Hoffmann | Wednesday, 12 Apr 2017 12:57 PM

Mar-a-Lago, the stunning 17-acre estate President Donald Trump calls his "Winter White House," is equipped with three bomb shelters built during the Cold War.

But the mostly-forgotten shelters — some used for storage — have taken on a somewhat renewed importance as the commander-in-chief uses the lush, palm tree-dotted property to relax and receive domestic and world leaders.

The Palm Beach Daily News reports Post cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, who built Mar-a-Lago with her financier husband E.F Hutton in 1927, had the shelters installed during the Korean War in the early 1950s.

They are hidden among the hedges of the property, and may be the least glamorous part of the spread which boasts 58 bedrooms, 33 bathrooms, a 29-foot marble dining table, 12 fireplaces, six tennis courts, and a gym.

Bomb shelters are not new among dignitaries in Florida.

When John F. Kennedy became commander-in-chief in 1961, the military built him a secret nuclear shelter and command post on Peanut Island, a 79-acre expanse at the mouth of the Lake Worth Inlet in Palm Beach County.

Until 2015, the Kennedy family owned an oceanfront estate less than two miles from Mar-a-Lago, where JFK vacationed.

Designed in 1923 by noted architect Addison Mizner, it was bought by Kennedy patriarch Joseph P. Kennedy in 1933.

http://www.newsmax.com/US/mar-a-lago.../12/id/784010/

It's cute the fascination some people have with Trump's home in Florida.

Trump's Mar-a-Lago visits are the ultimate grift: The more he vacations, the more he profits

By Laura Clawson
Saturday Apr 15, 2017 · 8:00 AM PDT
86 Comments (86 New)

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• Daily Kos

No reasonable person would say presidents don’t have the right to vacation a little. It’s a stressful job and they’re never fully off the job anyway. But there’s “a little” and there’s “28 percent of the time, in such a way as to profit yourself.” Guess which category Donald Trump is in? (And in fact, he attacked President Obama for vacationing—saying

“If you're in the White House, who wants to take a vacation?”—but that’s covered by the “no reasonable person” clause above).

Yes, 28 percent of the time:

… since his January inauguration, President Trump has spent seven of 13 weekends at his Palm Beach, Florida estate. According to NBC News' estimates by Sunday Trump will have spent 28 percent of his term traveling to or staying at Mar-a-Lago. Trump hosted his second world leader at the "winter White House" last weekend, with Chinese President Xi Jinping joining Trump for meetings Thursday and Friday. Trump stayed the rest of the weekend, frequenting his nearby golf club on both days.

And that doesn’t cover Trump’s trips to his Virginia golf club or his Washington, D.C., hotel—not “vacations” as such, but opportunities to promote his own properties, from which he is still profiting. That, more than the amount of time he is spending away from the White House, is the important issue:

"It's just another example of his consistent efforts to exploit public office for private gain," ethics expert Steve Schooner told NBC News. "He's using his official office and the fact that people have to travel with him, meet him, and follow him to promote his commercial enterprise, in this case his privately owned club." [...]
"This is a privately owned club that for all intents and purposes was just another golf property in Florida before, that almost now is something that Americans immediately recognize," Schooner continued. "Imagine what you would have to pay to get that kind of brand recognition. That's extraordinary."

As we’ve seen from the amount of time he obviously spends watching Fox News and tweeting about it, Trump is fully capable of being in the White House and not working. He’s getting something more important (to him) out of visiting his properties. He’s building the brand, justifying Mar-a-Lago’s doubled membership fees, and drawing business from people who want to be in a room with him or just plain suck up. Profit, profit, profit, with a heaping side of surrounding himself with sycophants.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/4...ore-he-profits

GOP Sen. Ernst says Trump should spend less time at Mar-a-Lago

Joni and her Congressional colleagues should spend more time in DC and work until they get their job and legislative agendas done.

Private meetings at Trump's Mar-a-Lago raise questions about access