A panel of Florida commissioners on Tuesday advanced plans to rename a state airport in honor of President Donald Trump.
In a 4-3 vote on the matter, Palm Beach County commissioners passed a naming rights and licensing agreement to change Palm Beach International Airport to “President Donald J. Trump International Airport.” The trademark deal authorizes the branding for the new name and provides the county a permanent, royalty-free license to use Trump’s name, image, and biographical information for signage, advertising, marketing, merchandise, promotions, and branding for airport operations. Trump’s new airport logo is entirely gold and features an eagle holding two olive branches, along with a crest shield over the bird’s body with stars and stripes.
“We have a lot of things in store,” Trump said during a speech at the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches earlier this month. “A lot of tremendous elements are going to be added to the airport, making it bigger and better. I don’t think there’ll be anything as good as your airport will be anywhere in the country.”
Though the commissioners have now approved the new name and branding, the Federal Aviation Administration technically provides final input on whether it takes effect. It is expected to be approved and renamed after Trump by July 1.
“Changing an airport name is a local issue, and the FAA does not approve airport name changes,” the FAA said in a statement to CBS12 News. “However, the FAA must complete some administrative tasks to include updating navigational charts and databases.”
When he is not at the White House, Trump often returns to Palm Beach, where his home, Mar-a-Lago, is located.
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The trademark deal allows DTTM Operations, which manages Trump’s trademarks and secured the trademark for “Donald J. Trump International Airport,” to approve or deny any of the branding beforehand. The president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., heads DTTM. The company can control who manufactures Trump airport-branded items but cannot profit from their purchase or sale.
The Palm Beach commission vote on Tuesday came after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed legislation allowing the airport name change in March. The development followed efforts by Republican state Rep. Meg Weinberger and Republican state Sen. Debbie Mayfield to pass the bill in the state legislature.