Flight restrictions that divert planes away from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club and over historically quiet neighborhoods in Palm Beach and West Palm Beach will remain in place for the time being, a U.S. Secret Service spokesperson said.
“The Secret Service’s security posture is continuously evaluated and updated,” Matt Fagiana, spokesperson for the Secret Service in Miami, told the Palm Beach Daily News. “The current threat level is heightened based on global affairs and the agency’s top priority remains providing the highest level of security to the President of the United States. We appreciate the understanding and support from the Palm Beach Community.”
The news comes as officials in Palm Beach said they hoped to urge federal decision makers to lift the no-fly zone over Trump’s home, at least during the off-season when the president is not expected to travel to the island.
Mayor Danielle Moore at the May 13 development-review meeting said she would — at Council President Pro-Tem Lew Crampton’s request — send a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration and Secret Service urging them to lift the flight restrictions for the summer.
Several Palm Beach residents recently had contacted the Palm Beach Daily News to request the newspaper look into the possibility of the flight restrictions being lifted, at least temporarily. Those requests came after the Secret Service and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office on May 4 reopened South Ocean Boulevard next to Mar-a-Lago. The coastal road between South County Road and Southern Boulevard had been closed around-the-clock for about two months.
The Secret Service confirmed the road’s reopening in a May 4 letter to Palm Beach County communities and partner agencies sent by Michael Townsend, acting special agent in charge of the federal agency’s Miami office. Townsend wrote that “there are no anticipated visits by any Secret Service protectees to Mar-a-Lago for the foreseeable future, including the next several months.”
The restrictions cover the airspace over Mar-a-Lago within a 1-nautical-mile radius to keep aircraft away from the private club, which the president and first lady declared in 2019 to be their permanent residence. The restrictions took effect Oct. 20 and will remain in place for at least a year, according to the FAA’s notice.
With Mar-a-Lago sitting roughly 4 miles east of Palm Beach International Airport, flights approaching and leaving the airport from the east have had to divert from their traditional flight paths over neighborhoods that for decades were spared the now-nearly constant noise of airplanes flying overhead.
The FAA recently allowed for planes to travel south of the no-fly zone, which airport officials have said should provide some relief to neighborhoods northeast of Palm Beach International.
Palm Beach, West Palm Beach and Palm Beach County in December filed petitions in federal court to force the FAA to share information about how and why the agency implemented the flight restrictions. All three entities must file their initial briefs in the case by May 26, court records show.
Security has grown increasingly tight around Mar-a-Lago since Trump began his second term as president on Jan. 20, 2025. Newer security measures have included a stronger law-enforcement presence around the property, but also new traffic signals at Mar-a-Lago’s Southern Boulevard gate, the flight restrictions, and new signs around the perimeter warning that trespassing there is a felony, thanks to a law passed by Florida lawmakers during the 2025 session.
Federal officials and Mar-a-Lago representatives have said that threats to Trump and his family have increased, along with concerns about domestic and international threats amid the Iran War.
Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Secret Service says no-fly zone over Trump’s Mar-a-Lago stays for now
Reporting by Kristina Webb, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Post
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