TOPLINE The town attorney has decided that former President Donald Trump can legally live at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump’s neighbors in Florida have questioned whether he can legally live at the estate under the terms of a 1993 agreement.
The 1993 agreement that turned Mar-a-Lago into a private club says that club members can’t stay there for more than 21 days a year or more than seven days at a time.
Trump’s lawyer at the time said that Trump would not try to live at his club. He said that Trump was a “member of the club” who could use its guest rooms, but there is nothing in the agreement that says he can’t live there.
Some Palm Beach residents have told the town that Trump is a club member who shouldn’t be allowed to live at the club because of the agreement. After Trump left the White House and moved to Mar-a-Lago, the town said it was looking into the agreement legally.
John C. Randolph wrote in a memo to the Palm Beach mayor and town council that Trump living at Mar-a-Lago doesn’t break the agreement, even though Trump’s lawyer said Trump wouldn’t live there. This is because the actual legal document doesn’t have a “specific prohibition” on Trump living at the club.
Randolph said that because of this, if Trump is considered an employee of Mar-a-Lago, as the ex-lawyers for the president have argued he is, then Palm Beach’s Zoning Code would allow him to live there.
The issue is still not settled, and Randolph urged the town to hear from Trump and his neighbours, as well as any other relevant parties, before making a final decision.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
“If [Trump] is a real employee of the Club, and unless there is a specific rule that says former President Trump can’t live at the Club, it looks like the Zoning Code lets him live there,” Randolph wrote in the memo, which was first reported by the Washington Post.
What to watch out for
Forbes quoted Palm Beach Town Manager Kirk Blouin as saying that Randolph will present his legal review at a town council meeting on Feb. 9, where the issue of Trump’s residency is expected to be discussed. He did not say whether the town plans to follow Randolph’s advice or if it has made a decision about whether to let Trump live there.
KEY BACKGROUND
Trump moved to Mar-a-Lago on the day of Joe Biden’s inauguration. He had spent a lot of time there during his presidency, giving the club the nickname “the Winter White House.” The former president moved his legal residence from Trump Tower in New York City to Mar-a-Lago in 2019. Even though Trump may be allowed to live permanently at his club, Mar-a-Lago, he has lost some of the perks that came with being president. For example, the club’s helipad is being torn down after it was built to accommodate Marine One.
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