State lawmakers back changing name of Palm Beach airport to Trump’s new trademark

While Florida Republicans are at odds over many things this legislative session, they are united on changing the name of the Palm Beach International Airport to “President Donald J. Trump International Airport,” which the president has trademarked.

The Senate passed the House version of the bill, HB 919, with a 25-11 vote amid concerns from Democrats. It will now head to the governor’s desk for his signature. The change would need to be signed off on by the Federal Aviation Administration, according to the bill.

The bill requires Palm Beach County, where Trump lives at his Mar-a-Lago estate, to license the name from a company managed by the Trump Organization. But the organization, lawmakers and the bill itself state the “commercial use” agreement would be at “no cost” to the county.

Future Senate Minority Leader Shevrin Jones of Miami Gardens asked bill sponsor Debbie Mayfield, R-Melbourne, on the floor Thursday whether Trump could still sell merchandise.

“The Trump name has been trademarked for quite awhile,” Mayfield said. “And if you start telling him that he can’t merchandise, that is actually a free market [violation]. So, there’s nothing in this bill that says he can’t merchandise his own stuff.”

But, Mayfield added, “Palm Beach County and the airport are not going to be paying him a royalty for him merchandising his stuff.”

Before the vote, Jones said he would rather rename the airport after one of his colleagues than the president.

Jones lamented the futility in pushing back: “I know this bill will pass today and Florida will approve the name change of a 34-count convicted felon, a known racist and a man who has hurt so many people.”

Even though Republicans have a supermajority in both chambers, they have passed just a handful of bills during this year’s legislative session. The airport name change is the biggest policy they’ve agreed on so far. The tension stems from a combative relationship between Miami House Speaker Daniel Perez and Gov. Ron DeSantis that began after the House probed the governor’s spending last year.

The passage of the airport bill further underscores Trump’s popularity in Florida, while Americans’ disapproval of him over actions on immigration and the economy continues to climb.

The House passed the bill on Tuesday 81-30.

Palm Beach County Democratic state House Rep. Kelly Skidmore said during debate about the bill Tuesday that she didn’t believe Trump wouldn’t personally profit from the name change.

“This is a man who only thinks about how he can improve his financial situation as the president of the United States,” Skidmore said. “If you think for one second he’s doing it for free, you’re crazier than he is.”

Trademark attorney Josh Gerben told the Herald/Times this week that the Trump-linked company’s move to own the name was unprecedented. No such arrangement exists in the dozen other airports named after presidents. Trump’s attempts to rename other buildings, like the Kennedy Center, while in office haven’t used trademarks or licensing agreements.

“This is the first [trademark] filing we’ve seen him make in that private company since taking office that really has a direct relationship to something he’s trying to accomplish in office, which is the renaming of these airports,” Gerben said. Reagan Washington National Airport’s trademark, for example, is owned by the public entity that operates the airport — not a private company, Gerben said.

“They own the trademark for it, not the president, not President Reagan’s heirs or library or anything like that,” Gerben said.