Democrats have slammed Florida lawmakers for passing a bill renaming the Palm Beach International Airport after President Donald Trump - given it comes with an eye-watering $5.5 million cost.
In a statement after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the renaming bill, House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell claimed GOP officials "decided to prioritize wasting five million of your taxpayer dollars on renaming an airport after the President."
"Your money is being misused to celebrate the man who caused gas prices to rise to over four dollars a gallon, grocery costs to shoot up, and health care prices to spike," she added. "It’s clear Tallahassee Republicans care more about political stunts than they care about your wallet.”
Overall, the name change is expected to cost up to $5.5 million, according to a local funding request filed to the state Senate, obtained by The Center Square.
The costs, not included in the renaming bill, would come from “updating, fabricating, and installing all signage on roadways, terminals, parking areas, airfield locations, equipment, and vehicles; updating all branding elements such as logos, marks, and design standards; and revising websites, mobile applications, social media, consumables, advertising, promotional items, uniforms, and related materials,” according to the request.
“Our goal throughout this transition is to keep everything easy and familiar for our passengers,” Director of Airports Laura Beebe said in a release. “Our team will be working behind the scenes to implement the required updates, and travelers will continue to enjoy the same smooth, convenient and friendly experience they expect.”
State Rep. Meg Weinberger, who proposed the renaming bill, has defended the expected costs. She believes the enthusiasm around the president’s name and brand being associated with Palm Beach will recoup the millions spent.
"I think it will really help our community and our state quite a bit having that global brand," she told WPBF earlier this week.
The newly renamed Trump International Airport connects to the recently renamed Donald J. Trump Boulevard, a stretch of road between the air hub and his coastal Mar-a-Lago estate.
During debate over the bill in February, state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith accused Republicans of helping the president turn the airport into a branding opportunity.
“We’re passing a bill using millions of dollars of Florida taxpayer money that will basically help subsidize President Trump’s ability to continue to enrich himself on merchandise sales from the use of the name President Donald J. Trump Airport,” he said.
That same month, the president’s Trump Organization company filed applications to trademark the name Donald Trump for use related to airports, shuttle buses, and even flight suits.
"To be clear, the President and his family will not receive any royalty, licensing fee, or financial consideration whatsoever from the proposed airport renaming," the company affirmed at the time.
The renaming of the airport is one of the recent moves to honor Trump.
The president and his allies have also put his name on the marquee at Washington D.C.-area institutions including the Kennedy Center and the U.S. Institute of Peace. A federal lawsuit seeks to remove the Trump name from the Kennedy Center, arguing that it was illegally added without congressional approval.
Trump is also remaking city skylines, and recently revealed plans to build his presidential library in Miami, in the form of a towering waterfront skyscraper.
A rendering of the tower includes the name “Trump” across the top of the building, which has a similar look to New York City’s One World Trade Center. Inside the building is the presidential 747 jet gifted to Trump by Qatar. There is also a gold escalator and statues in the building of Trump, striking his fist-in-the-air pose after an assassination attempt.
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