Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago lawsuits against Palm Beach and Palm Beach County span more than three decades, cover subdivision rights, airport noise, a flagpole, and his own residency, and share a single playbook: file an aggressive, high-dollar suit against the local government, then drop it once officials give him what he wanted. None of the airport suits produced liability for the county, and the town disputes were each resolved by settlement or quiet concession. The most recent twist is a reversal: Palm Beach and West Palm Beach are now suing the FAA over flight restrictions imposed to protect Trump.
The 1992 Subdivision Suit That Created the Club
Trump bought the 18-acre Mar-a-Lago estate in the mid-1980s and quickly found it too expensive to keep as a private home. His fix was a plan called “Mansions of Mar-a-Lago,” which would have carved the grounds into ten mini-mansion lots connected by a new public road. When the Palm Beach Town Council unanimously rejected the plan in April 1992, Trump sued the town for $50 million.1Vanity Fair. How Donald Trump Beat Palm Beach Society and Won the Fight for Mar-a-Lago
The complaint alleged that council members who voted against the subdivision belonged to organizations opposing the plan and should have recused themselves. Trump added a discrimination claim, arguing the town was targeting Mar-a-Lago because, unlike Palm Beach’s older private clubs, his club would be open to Jewish and African American members.1Vanity Fair. How Donald Trump Beat Palm Beach Society and Won the Fight for Mar-a-Lago
On May 13, 1993, the council voted 4–1 to approve converting Mar-a-Lago into a private social club, and Trump dropped the suit.2Politico. Donald Trump, the Anti-Semitism Scandal and the Palm Beach Town Council The conversion came with a special exception use agreement that capped membership at 500, limited members to seven consecutive days and 21 total days on the property per year, and treated Trump as any other club member rather than a permanent resident.3Sun-Sentinel. Palm Beach Considers Options to 1993 Agreement as Trump Remains in Residence at Mar-a-Lago That 1993 agreement would resurface almost thirty years later.
The Airport Noise Lawsuits
Over two decades, Trump filed four separate suits claiming that flights out of Palm Beach International Airport damaged Mar-a-Lago and disrupted the club. Three were voluntarily dismissed, and one was settled on terms the county described as favorable to the airport.4Kaplan Kirsch. President-Elect Dismisses Noise Lawsuit Against Airport
1995: The Suit That Produced the Golf Course
In 1995, Trump filed a $75 million suit against the county and airports director Bruce Pelly. In September 1996, the Palm Beach County Commission voted 4–0 to settle. Trump dropped the case and received a 30-year lease on 214 acres of county-owned land along Summit Boulevard, at $438,000 a year for the first five years with increases after that. The lease included a 45-year option contingent on Trump building a 30,000-square-foot clubhouse, with the course and clubhouse reverting to county ownership at the end.5Sun-Sentinel. Trump Settles Suit, Will Build Golf Course
That land became Trump International Golf Club. In 2002, the county approved a second lease for an additional 60 acres for nine more holes. Both agreements were eventually structured as 99-year leases, with combined monthly rent of about $88,338 as of recent reporting. After the January 6, 2021, Capitol breach, county officials explored canceling the lease and concluded there was no contractual basis to do so.6Palm Beach Post. Palm Beach County Explores Cutting Ties With Trump, His Golf Course
2010: Blocking a Runway Expansion
In July 2010, Trump sued the county and Pelly again, this time to block a proposed commercial runway expansion and stop flights over Mar-a-Lago. The complaint included a claim of “intentional battery,” alleging Pelly was retaliating by directing planes over the estate. A circuit court judge rejected the suit in December 2010, noting that the FAA controls flight paths, but allowed Trump to refile.7Center for Public Integrity. Donald Trump’s Lawsuits Could Turn Off Conservatives Who Embrace Tort Reform
Trump refiled and then dropped the case in August 2011 after the airport shelved its runway expansion until at least 2045 and Pelly agreed to maintain the existing noise-monitoring system and citizens’ advisory committee. Trump’s attorney John Marion IV reserved the right to sue again if the county took action “which threatens county residents with unreasonable airport noise.”8Palm Beach Post. Trump Dumps Airport Suit, Satisfied
2015: The $100 Million Suit
On January 6, 2015, Mar-A-Lago LLC filed a $100 million suit against Palm Beach County in the 15th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, again naming Pelly. The complaint alleged Pelly had deliberately diverted departing flights over Mar-a-Lago out of “personal animosity” and a desire for “revenge” stemming from the 1995 suit, and described a “corrosive bombardment” of noise, vibrations, fumes, and soot damaging the estate’s antique Spanish tiles and stone construction.9CNN. Trump Sues Palm Beach County for $100 Million Over Flights Above Mar-a-Lago10Time. Donald Trump Sues Florida County Over Air Traffic
A judge dismissed four of the six counts, leaving only a claim that the flights were an “unusual nuisance.”11Orlando Sentinel. Trump Dropping Airport Lawsuit, Palm Beach County Says After Trump won the 2016 election and federal no-fly restrictions were imposed over his residence, he voluntarily dismissed the remaining claim on November 15, 2016.4Kaplan Kirsch. President-Elect Dismisses Noise Lawsuit Against Airport County officials estimated defending the airport suits had cost taxpayers more than $600,000.
The Flagpole Lawsuit
In October 2006, Trump erected an 80-foot flagpole on the Mar-a-Lago grounds flying a 15-by-25-foot American flag. Town ordinances capped flagpoles at 42 feet and flags at 4 by 6 feet, and Trump had no permit. Code enforcement cited three violations: exceeding the height limit, lacking a building permit, and bypassing the landmarks board.12Ocala Star-Banner. Trump Fined for Flying Flag Over Club
In December 2006, Trump sued the town for $10 million, later raising his demand to $25 million, arguing the fines violated his First Amendment right to display the American flag. The town began imposing $1,250 daily fines starting January 6, 2007.13Palm Beach Post. Trump in Palm Beach: Remember When He Sued Town for $25M Over Flagpole
The dispute settled on April 27, 2007. Trump dropped the suit, the town waived $120,000 in accumulated fines, and Trump received a permit for a 70-foot flagpole in a slightly different location. In exchange, Trump agreed to donate $100,000 to charities supporting Iraq War veterans, the U.S. flag, or a local veterans’ hospital.13Palm Beach Post. Trump in Palm Beach: Remember When He Sued Town for $25M Over Flagpole
The Residency Dispute After the Presidency
When Trump left office in January 2021 and moved into Mar-a-Lago full-time, neighbors challenged whether his permanent residency violated the 1993 use agreement. Attorney Reginald Stambaugh, writing for a neighboring family, told the town and Secret Service in December 2020 that “Mar-a-Lago is a social club, and no one may reside on the property.”14The Guardian. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Neighbors Want to Stop Him Moving In A group called Preserve Palm Beach, represented by Philip Johnston, argued to the council that allowing Trump to live at the club would set a precedent for turning it into a multi-family residence.15NBC Miami. Palm Beach to Decide Whether Former President Trump Can Stay at Mar-a-Lago
John Marion, Trump’s longtime attorney, countered that the town zoning code allows private clubs to provide living quarters for “bona fide employees,” a category he argued covered Trump as the club’s owner and president. Marion submitted documentation signed by Trump on January 25, 2021, verifying his role.16CBS News Miami. Donald Trump Attorney Defends Mar-a-Lago Residency at Town Council
The town attorney’s office concluded the 1993 agreement did not expressly prohibit Trump from residing at the club if he qualified as an employee, and the town code’s definition of “employee” includes “sole proprietors, partners, limited partners, corporate officers and the like.”17WRAL. Florida Town Completes Legal Review of Trump’s Residency at Mar-a-Lago At its February 9, 2021, meeting the council heard both sides but took no formal vote, effectively allowing Trump to remain.18BBC. Trump at Mar-a-Lago: Palm Beach Hears Arguments on Residency
The Reversal: Palm Beach Sues the FAA
The airport fight has come full circle, with Trump now on the other side. On October 20, 2025, the FAA imposed a permanent, round-the-clock no-fly zone within one nautical mile of Mar-a-Lago, extending 2,000 feet above ground level, as a security measure for the sitting president. Unlike his first term, the zone stays active whether or not Trump is in residence.19CBS12. FAA Implements Year-Round Flight Restrictions Around Mar-a-Lago
Palm Beach International rerouted commercial departures, concentrating traffic over residential neighborhoods like Flamingo Park and Grandview Heights that had previously been spared. Noise complaints spiked to more than 500 in three months, roughly ten times the typical annual total.20WPTV. FAA Implements New Flight Procedures at Palm Beach International Airport to Reduce Noise Complaints Residents began raising arguments strikingly similar to Trump’s older ones: structural damage, depressed property values, unreasonable nuisance.21WFLX. Decade-Old Trump Lawsuit Resurfaces Amid New Flight Restrictions Over Palm Beach Neighborhoods
On December 10, 2025, the FAA extended the restrictions through December 2026.22WFLX. FAA Extends Mar-a-Lago Flight Restrictions Until December 2026 Amid Palm Beach County Lawsuit Two days later, Palm Beach and West Palm Beach filed a joint petition for review with the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., arguing the FAA orders were “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion” and violated the Administrative Procedure Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act.23Palm Beach Daily News. Palm Beach, West Palm Beach Challenge Flight Paths Issued for Trump Safety Palm Beach County filed its own appeal against the extension.
On January 22, 2026, the FAA shifted flight paths again, moving planes north of Southern Boulevard and concentrating traffic over the northern part of Palm Beach’s Estate Section. The county installed ten noise monitors in affected neighborhoods to gather decibel data for court.24Palm Beach Post. FAA Shifts Flight Paths Again Over Palm Beach Near Mar-a-Lago In June 2026, the municipalities filed a 177-page brief arguing the FAA had acted unlawfully and asking the court to cancel the current restrictions and flight procedures entirely.25Palm Beach Post. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago No-Fly Zone Was Created Unlawfully, New Filing Says
For years Trump argued airport flights were damaging his property and ruining his club. Federal security restrictions designed to protect him have shifted that same burden onto surrounding neighborhoods, and now it is Palm Beach’s towns and county doing the suing.