Wealthy enclave Palm Beach asks for financial help to protect Trump

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Palm Beach, one of the richest American enclaves, is seeking government assistance after the cost to protect its most famous resident — former U.S. President Donald Trump — soared to $93,000 a day.

The local sheriff’s office was forced to ramp up spending on Trump’s security detail after an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania two months ago. Now a second attempt, this time at a golf course near Trump’s home in Florida, has renewed calls to boost it even further.

“We’ve had to heighten security ever since the campaign started with the former president, who is our resident here,” said Palm Beach County Mayor Maria Sachs. “Yes, it’s disruptive and difficult, but it’s the price we pay to live in paradise.”

Palm Beach County, with a budget of almost $8 billion and home to some of the world’s wealthiest families, has asked for federal help to foot the bill. Last week, Sachs and the county’s sheriff sent a letter to Congressional representatives asking for funding for the former president’s security, she said.

The letter outlined the full scope of the spending on Trump, including $2.8 million of estimated overtime paid during a 30-day period for officers involved in his protection, as enhanced security led to around-the-clock street blockades. There was also an estimated $42,720 cost fielded by the local Fire Rescue department during motorcades and other times, as well as $3,600 a day spent by the town of Palm Beach itself.

Security measures are requested by the US Secret Service and other federal agencies, who end up mobilizing personnel from local law enforcement and other sources, according to the letter.

The protection afforded to Trump by the Secret Service has come under scrutiny in recent months, with Republicans demanding the Biden administration allocate more resources to the presidential candidate. President Biden and Senate Democrats have in turn requested more funding.

On Monday, the combined security measures were on full display, with officers blocking key streets around Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s home and waterfront club, which is bordered by the ocean and some of Palm Beach’s main roads.

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Around a dozen police cars lined the road leading to Mar-a-Lago, blocking the entrance to the parking lots off the bridge that usually serve as a perch for Trump’s supporters. Police waved drivers on to turn around or go south, away from the club.

There was a perimeter established at the West Palm Beach golf course, following the incident this weekend when Ryan Routh was spotted by a Secret Service agent with what appeared to be a rifle poking out of a tree line.

Routh, who was apprehended in his SUV after being chased by police, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and receipt of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. The incident marked the second attempt on the Republican presidential candidate’s life in two months, after a gunman wounded Trump in the ear during an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.

To some Palm Beach residents, the concern is how long blockades will last and how far they can spread. Palm Beach has boomed in recent years, with more cars clogging the island’s limited road and parking spaces. A second Trump victory could mean further restrictions, plunging the area into lockdown during its busier winter months.

At a recent Palm Beach Town Council meeting, the town’s mayor even floated the possibility of closing Mar-a-Lago — Trump’s official residence but also a private club.

“We are ready for whatever eventuality occurs,” Sachs said. “The candidates and future president will be safe in Palm Beach County.”