Town officials have wisely decided to take more time to consider a request from the U.S. Secret Service that a planned helicopter launching pad remain in place at the Mar-a-Lago Club beyond the end of President Donald Trump’s second term.
The agency earlier this month asked the town to allow keep the helipad on the property as long as a person protected by the Secret Service is in residence — a clear reference to the president.
A Mar-a-Lago representative told the Town Council the helipad will be needed because of increasing threats to Mr. Trump and his family, threats that are expected to continue after he leaves office. After discussing the request on April 14, the council decided to delay a decision on the request until May 12.
Protecting the president is vital to the nation’s security. It’s also important to ensure former presidents and their spouses are secure.
But there is no valid reason for the Town Council to approve the Secret Service’s request three years before the end of the president’s second and final term.
When a Mar-a-Lago helipad was first approved in 2017 at the beginning of Mr. Trump’s first term as president, the Town Council did so with the condition that the concrete pad be removed when he left office. The original helipad was demolished in 2021, after Mr. Trump’s departure from the White House.
Late last year, Mar-a-Lago sought approval for a larger pad to accommodate newer helicopters used to carry the president and White House staff and officials. The Landmarks Preservation Commission, which oversees any exterior changes at landmarked Mar-a-Lago, approved its design in October.
Construction on Mar-a-Lago’s west lawn is expected to begin this summer after the club closes for the season.
The landing pad makes sense for the rest of Mr. Trump’s presidency and may well be needed after it ends.
But the council can and should avoid any automatic consent to requests for special exceptions at Mar-a-Lago, which after all is a private residence and is expected to remain so — even while operating as a private club.
Council members understand that residents may have concerns that the helipad could be used for non-official purposes. In December 2017, for example, a private helicopter bearing the Trump logo was there for more than a week, violating the town’s conditions for approval of the landing site.
Mayor Danielle Moore said at the council’s April 14 meeting that some residents have questioned how much the town can control how the helipad is used.
“In my mind, the restrictions have to be pretty solid,” the mayor said.
Other council members questioned why the request came so early in Mr. Trump’s second term, as security concerns may change with time.
Harvey Oyer, a lawyer who represents Mar-a-Lago, told the council that threats on the president’s life are ongoing. The helipad request, he said, is part of a broad array of security measures.
There’s no reason to doubt him. That said, it is very early for the town to consider determining that a long-term helipad at Mar-a-Lago is necessary.
Given the growing number of security measures that residents fear may become permanent, it is wise for the council to take its time, and to carefully weigh the need for restrictions.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Council must carefully weigh long-term Mar-a-Lago helipad | Editorial
Reporting by Palm Beach Daily News Editorial Board, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
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