The Town Council made the right decision by championing consistency last week when it declined to grant an exception to a requirement that organizations holding events with more than 200 attendees at Mar-a-Lago shuttle them to the private club from off the island.
The Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce had asked the council to waive the the shuttle-service rule so that attendees at its monthly breakfasts could drive their cars to Mar-a-Lago rather than be bussed from a hotel parking lot off Southern Boulevard, west of Interstate 95.
The chamber for years has held its breakfast meetings during the winter social season at The Breakers, which easily accommodated the events. Each breakfast has typically drawn a sell-out crowd of about 500 people.
That’s a lot of drivers, as anyone who has waited patiently for valet service amid the crowd after one of the breakfasts at The Breakers knows.
The Palm Beach Daily News is a member of the chamber. Its reporters regularly cover the breakfasts, which typically feature a guest speaker.
The Breakers, however, won’t be able to accommodate the chamber event this coming season because of construction projects at the resort. That has sent organizers of larger events there to make alternate arrangements.
The chamber decided the main ballroom at Mar-a-Lago would fit its needs, as it’s the only venue in Palm Beach that can handle its breakfast crowds in a setting with panache.
Hoping to avoid the hassle and cost of providing shuttle service, Chamber President Doug Evans asked the Town Council to grant it an exception to the transportation measures detailed in the town’s declaration of use agreement with the club.
The council was divided on the issue, voting 3-2 not to grant the exception.
Council members weighed whether an early-morning event would cause increased traffic congestion — an issue that has been much on the minds of officials and residents over the past few years.
Even if cars arriving at the club around dawn could be managed with little difficulty, the breakfasts likely would end during the morning rush hour. And while many chamber members live off island, many others do not.
As Council Member Lew Crampton wisely observed during the meeting: “It’s not just arrival time. It’s also leaving time.”
And it’s still unclear if the portion of South Ocean Boulevard the Mar-a-Lago security zone to protect President Donald Trump and his family will be closed around-the-clock this season, as it was for several months during the season that just ended.
After looking at the variables and getting advice from the police chief and the town manager, the council made its decision to deny the waiver request, with member Nicky McDonald and President Ted Cooney casting the nay votes.
The split vote nods at the nuanced impact the decision will have on residents. While the island’s roads will see less cars traveling near Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach residents attending the event will have to travel local roads and cross the bridges to the Hilton before being bussed back to the island.
Evans said the chamber would make sure all of the town’s requirements are followed.
Mayor Danielle Moore, who did not vote, said that if the waiver weren’t granted, then every organization that qualifies to shuttle attendees to Mar-a-Lago must be expected to follow the same rules.
She was exactly on point. Rules are rules are rules, and in this case, the chamber did not prove a hardship that would justify waiving them.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach council right to deny Mar-a-Lago parking waiver | Editorial
Reporting by Palm Beach Daily News Editorial Board, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
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By Palm Beach Daily News Editorial Board, Palm Beach Daily News | USA TODAY Network
