Trump Living At Mar-A-Lago Doesn’t Violate Residency Agreement, Town Attorney Says
Former President Donald Trump can legally live at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, the town’s attorney has ruled after conducting a review, as Trump’s neighbors in Florida have challenged whether he can legally reside at the estate under the terms of a 1993 agreement.
KEY FACTS
The 1993 agreement that allowed Mar-a-Lago to become a private club explicitly bans club members from staying there for more than 21 days per year, and for more than seven days at a time.
Trump’s attorney at the time said that Trump would not try to live at his club, describing him as a “member of the club” who’s entitled to use its guest rooms, but there is no language in the agreement that bans him specifically from living there.
Some Palm Beach residents have argued to the town that Trump is a club member who should be prohibited from living at the club under the terms of the agreement, and after Trump left the White House and moved to Mar-a-Lago, the town said it was conducting a legal review of the agreement.
John C. Randolph said in a memo to the Palm Beach mayor and town council that Trump living at Mar-a-Lago does not violate the agreement, since even though his attorney said verbally that Trump wouldn’t live there, the actual legal document doesn’t have a “specific prohibition” on Trump living at the club.
Because of this, if Trump is considered an employee of Mar-a-Lago—which the ex-president’s attorneys argued he is—then under Palm Beach’s Zoning Code, he would be legally allowed to live there, Randolph said.
The matter is still not settled, and in addition to his recommendation, Randolph urged the town to also hear from Trump and his neighbors, as well as any other relevant parties, before making a final decision.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
“lf [Trump] is a bona fide employee of the Club, absent a specific restriction prohibiting former President Trump from residing at the Club, it appears the Zoning Code permits him to reside at the Club,” Randolph wrote in the memo, which was first reported by the Washington Post.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Palm Beach Town Manager Kirk Blouin told Forbes Randolph will present his legal review at a town council meeting Feb. 9, during which the issue of Trump’s residency is expected to be discussed. He did not comment on whether the town intends to follow Randolph’s recommendation or if it had reached any decision on whether to allow Trump’s residency.
KEY BACKGROUND
Trump moved to Mar-a-Lago on Joe Biden’s Inauguration Day after frequently spending time there throughout his presidency, earning the club the nickname “the Winter White House.” The former president changed his legal residence to Mar-a-Lago from Trump Tower in New York City in 2019. Though Trump may end up being allowed to reside permanently at his club, he has lost some of the perks of being at Mar-a-Lago that came with his presidency: the club’s helipad, for instance, is now in the process of being demolished after its installation to accommodate Marine One.
