Palm Beach County escalates legal fight over Mar-a-Lago flight restrictions

Palm Beach County officials are considering adding roughly $300,000 to their contract with an aviation law firm as they press ahead with a legal challenge to flight restrictions around former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. The proposed increase would raise the county's agreement with Kaplan, Kirsch LLP from about $322,500 to a maximum of $622,500, after staff said funds under the existing deal had run out while litigation continues.

The dispute traces back to October 2025, when the Federal Aviation Administration imposed a year-round restriction covering the airspace within one nautical mile of Mar-a-Lago and below 2,000 feet. That rule applies regardless of whether the president is present, replacing an earlier system in which restrictions only took effect during his visits. The change also altered departure procedures at the airport now called President Donald J. Trump International Airport, requiring eastbound flights to divert northeast to avoid the restricted zone.

County officials say the new flight paths have significantly increased aircraft noise over the El Cid and Flamingo Park neighborhoods of West Palm Beach and parts of the Town of Palm Beach. A county commissioner said around 20,000 residents have been affected, and more than 6,000 noise complaints have reportedly been filed since the procedures changed, compared with fewer than a dozen a month before. Noise monitors have since been installed in the affected areas to track flight activity.

Commissioners voted 4-3 in December to pursue a legal challenge after being warned that missing a federal filing deadline could forfeit their opportunity for judicial review, even as negotiations with the FAA and U.S. Secret Service continue.