Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago ordered to tear down presidential helipad as POTUS prepares to retire in Florida: Report
President Donald J. Trump's last day in office will be January 20, 2021, following which several aspects of his life will more or less return to what they once were.
At Mar-a-Lago in Florida, where the 45th commander-in-chief is set to retire after leaving the White House, a helipad for Marine One will be decommissioned after the end of his tenure, People reported.
It's worth noting that the town of Palm Beach doesn't usually allow non-emergency helicopters. However, it issued a special permit for the former real estate mogul after he won the presidency in 2016, allowing his members-only club to accommodate the stately 25,000-lb. Marine One.
According to People, Trump's neighbors weren't amused by the prospect at the time, saying the downdraft and noise would be disruptive to the neighborhood. However, town officials argued it was a much better option than the traffic jams that would be caused by the President's motorcade coming to and from the airport.
Palm Beach's town council unanimously approved a permit for Mar-a-Lago in January 2017. The beachfront resort was allowed to construct a 50-foot concrete helipad on which Marine One could land. Speaking to the Sun-Sentinel, the project's architect revealed that the construction was bankrolled by the club itself.
According to Michelle Sentmanat, senior permit coordinator at the Town of Palm Beach, the permit was "only granted on a contingency basis." Speaking to People, she said it was specified in the permit that the helipad could only be used for business-related to the US presidency and not after Trump was out of office.
However, some of the rules may have been broken in the past, according to People. Some residents have claimed they saw other helicopters bearing the Trump name (connected to his private businesses) being parked on the pad.
On January 20, however, that will change. According to the magazine, air traffic of any kind will no longer be permitted to land on the helipad. Sentmanat told People that Mar-a-Lago will then need to apply for another permit from Palm Beach officials seeking to demolish the structure so the empty ground can be re-sod and irrigated.
This comes amid reports that Trump has planned to organize an elaborate farewell ceremony at Joint Base Andrews before leaving the White House for Florida on the morning of Wednesday, January 20. The farewell ceremony will reportedly take place hours before the scheduled inauguration and swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Joe Biden. Anonymous sources from within the White House who were familiar with the farewell plans revealed details to Reuters.
For the first time in centuries, the outgoing president will not be attending his successor’s inauguration ceremony, as Trump is confirmed to skip Biden’s inauguration and also refrain from the traditional and symbolic helicopter lift from the US Capitol, said a report by USA Today.
Though many details about the farewell ceremony are not known, it was reported by Associated Press that the event might include a 21-gun salute, a color guard, and a military band.