TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A proposal that would block local government oversight of the construction and management of an anticipated presidential library in Florida for President Donald Trump cleared its first Senate committee Tuesday.
Without comment, the Senate Community Affairs Committee unanimously backed a measure (SB 118), filed by Sen. Jason Brodeur, R-Sanford, that would prevent local governments from regulating construction and operation of presidential libraries.
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Brodeur said after the meeting he wants to ensure local governments don’t impose construction “impediments,” amid expectations that a library will be built in Florida, with Trump a Palm Beach resident.
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“I think there’s a history in the state of Florida from local municipalities giving President Trump problems with some of the zoning things that he’s had, whether it’s a helicopter pad or the size of his flag,” Brodeur said. “With us having the opportunity to actually have the first presidential library ever (in Florida), and there’s so few in the United States … that this would really be a landmark thing for Florida. And we wanted to make sure that we had rolled out the welcome mat as best we could.”
In 2006, Trump fought Palm Beach after he put an 80-foot pole at the entrance to his Mar-a-Lago Club, according to The Palm Beach Post. Trump sued after the town said the pole exceeded ordinances regarding height and location. A settlement resulted in Trump getting to put up a 70-foot pole in a different location at the club.
In 2017, Palm Beach approved, through a resolution, the creation of a helicopter landing pad for Marine One at Mar-a-Lago. The resolution, backed by the U.S. Marine Corps for security reasons, received some pushback, with one resident arguing helicopter landings would exceed the town’s noise limits.
Brodeur’s bill is filed for consideration during the legislative session that will start March 4. It would prohibit local governments from enacting or enforcing ordinances, resolutions or rules related to presidential libraries, except when such measures are authorized by federal law.
Rep. Alex Andrade, R-Pensacola, has filed an identical bill in the House (HB 69).
Currently, the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library is a website administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. It has been in operation since Trump left office in 2021 after his first term. He returned to the White House last month.
The national archives system runs 13 presidential libraries in 10 states. A library for President Barack Obama is under construction in Chicago and will be the 14th in the system.
Four of the libraries are tied with universities. Brodeur said he expects the Florida university system would “welcome” such a conversation.