Two lawsuits challenge legality of airport name change
The state budget passed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last month allocated $2.75 million for the rebranding, roughly half of the estimated $5.5 million cost. Palm Beach County Administrator Joseph Abruzzo said the county will use the state money for “baseline, necessary changes” but will not contribute local funds for the full scope of new signage. “For the full extensive signage, we will be needing the other half of those funds from the state,” Abruzzo told the Miami Herald.
The airport’s website carries a statement that remaining costs will be funded through the Palm Beach County Department of Airports’ operating budget and capital improvement program, a position that appears to contradict Abruzzo’s remarks that no county money will be used. Commissioner Joel Flores, who voted against the trademark and licensing agreement with the Trump Organization in May, said he will not vote to use operational funds for the rebranding. “This should be solely on the state to be able to fund this,” Flores said. “This is their initiative. This is their imposition, their rule over a local municipality over a local airport, so they should be responsible.”
Two lawsuits filed in Palm Beach County seek to halt the rebranding. One, brought by retired pilot George Poncy, argues that changing the airport’s three-letter identifier code from PBI to DJT — set to take effect Aug. 18 — will introduce confusion in air traffic control and aviation management software and create a safety hazard. The other, filed by trademark attorney Victoria Doyle, contends the state lacked the authority to impose the name change on a county-owned and -operated airport. Doyle, who is running for the Democratic nomination for a Palm Beach congressional seat, said her case has been granted a trial date next year. “Trump’s ego is going to demand upgrades to that airport as fast as possible,” Doyle said. “We could be on the hook.”
The official name change took effect July 9, when President Trump’s personal jet — dubbed “Trump Force One” — carried his son Eric to a predawn landing, becoming the first plane to arrive under the airport’s new name. Meanwhile, state transportation workers erected highway signs directing drivers to the “President Donald J. Trump International Airport,” and the airport’s website now carries the new logo. But inside the terminals, many physical signs still display the original Palm Beach International name.
Rebeca Krogman, public information officer for the Palm Beach Department of Airports, said the agency has begun updating digital touchpoints and deploying temporary signage. “As with any facility of this size, it would not be practical to list every individual sign or area that has or has not yet been updated,” Krogman said in a statement. She did not rule out drawing on the airports’ operating budget but said it was not the department’s preference.
The county commission voted 4-3 in May to approve a trademark deal with the Trump Organization, with some members expressing concern about potential consequences of rejecting the state-mandated change. Critics have said the agreement could financially benefit the president and his family.
The Florida Department of Transportation did not return a request for comment.