Former President Donald Trump is receiving support for his effort to take up residence at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
Palm Beach town attorney John C. Randolph said in a memo, first obtained by The Washington Post, Trump should be allowed to live at the club despite signing an agreement in 1993 to transition the location from a residence to a private club.
Randolph argued the agreement “did not incorporate a direct prohibition on former President Trump residing at the club, the language in the agreement pertaining only to the members’ use of guest suites.”
He noted town’s zoning code “prohibits living quarters within a club except for its bona fide employees.”
Randolph explained, “If he is a bona fide employee of the Club, absent a specific restriction prohibiting former President Trump from residing at the Club, it appears the Zoning Code permits him to reside at the Club.”
He also stressed in his memo the purpose of the agreement was “to keep a club from turning into a multi-family residence or a commercial use such as a hotel.”
John B. Marion, an attorney representing Trump and the club, penned a letter to Randolph on Jan. 28 making the case for why Trump should be allowed to live on the property.
“President Trump is the president of Mar-a-Lago Club LLC (the legal owner of MAL), and as a corporate officer oversees the property,” Marion wrote.
He went on, “He is therefore a bona fide employee within the express terms of the Town’s Zoning Code.”
Marion also said Trump uses “the owner’s suite, which is not a guest suite” when he visits the club.
On Feb. 9, Palm Beach’s Town Council is expected to meet to discuss the issue.
Mar-a-Lago neighbors have made it clear they do not want Trump making the location his home during his post-presidency.
A lawyer for the neighbors sent a demand letter to the town of Palm Beach and U.S. Secret Service in December 2020.
The lawyer urged the town to tell Trump he cannot move into the club, saying it would “avoid an embarrassing situation” if Trump moved in and later had to leave.
