It’s almost done. This summer Palm Beach International Airport will be known as the Donald J. Trump International Airport. The Florida House approved its bill on a final floor vote. The Florida Senate is expected to follow suit. Once that’s completed, it’s just the formality of obtaining Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signature before it’s the law in Florida.
C’est la vie. Them’s the breaks. Sorry, not sorry. “DJIA” ― get used to it.
House Bill 919 was approved by a 81 to 30 vote. The legislation changes the name of PBIA subject to approval of the Federal Aviation Administration and an agreement giving Palm Beach County the perpetual and unrestricted right to use the Donald J. Trump International Airport name at no cost. Proponents say the change gives honor to the two-erm president and solidifies the connection between Trump and his adopted home state.
Last time we checked, a noticeable number of Palm Beach County residents weren’t exactly enthusiastic about the name change. A recent Post poll on the topic garnered a whopping 91% disapproval on renaming the local airport after the president. The sentiment reflects the opposition in other parts of the country to renaming other notable landmarks after Trump ― from Penn Station in New York to Dulles International Airport outside of Washington, D.C.
Trump faced no real controversy or opposition 416 miles away from the airport in Tallahassee.
In this week’s final floor vote before the Florida House, the Palm Beach County Legislation Delegation split along partisan lines: Republican state Reps. Anne Gerwig, Peggy Gossett-Seidman, John Snyder and Meg Weinberger voted YES. Democratic state Reps. Jevonte Edmonds, Rob Long, Kelly Skidmore and Debra Tendrich voted NO.
With the Florida Senate vote expected to be a formality, how are you feeling about the coming change?
We’ve got another poll for that. Share your thoughts by taking this quick survey:
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Will renaming PBIA after Donald Trump polarize air travel? | Opinion
Reporting by Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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