Florida Lawmakers Send Bill Renaming PBI After Trump to DeSantis

The Florida Legislature sent Gov. Ron DeSantis a bill Monday that would rename Palm Beach International Airport after President Donald Trump, a move with direct implications for the airport that serves Martin and St. Lucie county travelers heading south.

House Bill 919, if signed by DeSantis, would officially rename the West Palm Beach facility in honor of the president, who maintains his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach. The airport is the primary commercial gateway for many Treasure Coast residents who drive south on Interstate 95 for flights.

The bill goes further than a single renaming. It also preempts local governments across the state from independently changing the names of major commercial service airports — a provision that would apply to Orlando International, Miami International, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, Tampa International, Jacksonville International and Southwest Florida International airports. Local elected bodies in those jurisdictions would lose authority over their airports' names under the measure.

The preemption clause is significant for Florida's home-rule tradition, stripping city and county governments of a naming decision that has historically been considered a local matter. No Treasure Coast county operates a major commercial service airport covered by the bill's preemption language.

DeSantis has not yet indicated publicly whether he will sign the legislation. The governor's office had not released a statement on the bill as of the time of this report.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.