FAA Imposes New Flight Restrictions Over Mar-a-Lago (Whether Trump Is There or Not)

The FAA has issued new flight restrictions around President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. The new restrictions will be in place for at least a year and will apply even when the president isn’t staying at his club, a major departure from what was done previously.

The new restrictions started at 8:00 a.m. ET on Monday and won’t expire until Oct. 20, 2026, according to the FAA notice posted online. The no-fly zone includes a one nautical mile radius up to 2,000 feet, where all aircraft are banned, including planes, helicopters, and drones. These restrictions apply even when Trump isn’t on the property.

Temporary Flight Restrictions are in place when Trump visits Mar-a-Lago and those will remain, including a 10 nautical mile radius around Palm Beach International Airport. That so-called inner core includes strict limitations on aviation, while the outer ring extends from 10-30 nautical miles and imposes some restrictions on aircraft that get approval for operations, according to a Powerpoint presentation available on the airport’s website.

The Powerpoint slides also include instructions on what to do if you’re a pilot who’s being intercepted while violating restricted airspace. Number one on the list? Remain calm.

Mar-a-Lago is just a few miles directly east of Palm Beach International Airport. The new restrictions will likely cause more air traffic to be diverted to surrounding communities north of Palm Beach, according to a new report from the Palm Beach Post, with pilots using alternate routes to avoid the restricted airspace when landing.

The areas of Grandview Heights and Flamingo Park in West Palm Beach are expected to see the biggest upticks in air traffic and noise levels, according to the Sun-Sentinel. Palm Beach County Commissioner Gregg Weiss posted about the new restrictions on Facebook and noted that people in the area will likely have complaints.

Weiss explained that noise complaints can be submitted through the Palm Beach International Airport’s website. He told the Palm Beach Post that residents were likely expecting more interruptions soon because Trump would be visiting Florida more frequently during the winter. But the fact that there will be new restrictions, even when he’s not at Mar-a-Lago, came as a surprise.

Secret Service agents recently found what Fox News described as a “suspicious hunting stand,” near the airport. It’s unclear what the purpose of the stand may have been but it was discovered during advance security preparations for Trump’s arrival the airport, according to Fox.

The FAA didn’t respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Gizmodo received an out-of-office response that reads, “Due to a lapse in funding, the FAA is not responding to routine media inquiries.”