Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Monday to rename Palm Beach International Airport after President Donald Trump.
The legislation would change the airport’s name to President Donald J. Trump International Airport. The facility sits just miles from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in West Palm Beach. The name change will become official once the Federal Aviation Administration updates its databases.
In a statement, the agency said that the FAA must “complete some administrative tasks to include updating navigational charts and databases” to finalize the change.
The measure passed last month in the Florida legislature before reaching DeSantis’ desk. If approved at the federal level, the renaming is expected to take effect on July 1.
Public filings show that DTTM Operations, a company tied to the Trump business, submitted multiple trademark applications in February for variations of the airport name, including “President Donald J. Trump International Airport” and “Donald J. Trump International Airport,” and the abbreviation “DJT.” The applications were filed on an “intent-to-use” basis, meaning they were meant to secure rights ahead of potential commercial use.
The move to rename PBI after the president was welcomed by members of the GOP on Monday. The Republican Party of Florida said in a social media post that the state is “honored to be home to this landmark tribute” to Trump.
Democrats criticized the bill and raised concerns about potential costs tied to the rebranding.
“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 healthcare prices to spike,” said State House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell of Tampa in a statement.
