The legislation to rename the Florida airport after President Donald Trump now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk.

PALM BEACH, Fla. — Florida lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to rename Palm Beach International Airport after President Donald Trump.

The Florida Senate passed the bill (HB 919) that would allow for the rebrand on Thursday in a 25-11 vote after the Florida House passed it on Tuesday in an 81-30 vote. The legislation now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk to be signed into law.

The bill says that Palm Beach International Airport, which is less than 5 miles away from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Estate, will be renamed as “the ‘President Donald J. Trump International Airport,’ subject to approval of the Federal Aviation Administration.”

The legislation also outlines that Palm Beach County must form an agreement with the rights holder of “President Donald J. Trump International Airport” to use the name, and any derivatives of it, at no cost “in signage, advertising, marketing, merchandising, and promotions and for the branding of the airport and its operations, services, and amenities, and all related purposes.”

If DeSantis signs the bill into law, it will take effect on July 1, 2026. However, lawmakers still need to negotiate how much of the budget to allocate for the name change. 

The Florida Senate’s initial budget recommendation was $2.75 million to go toward signage and rebranding for the new President Donald J. Trump Airport — compared to the $5.5 million ask outlined in the original bill. Lawmakers will discuss it further as the legislative session continues. 


Trump already filed trademarks for airport in his name

Even before Florida lawmakers passed the bill allowing Palm Beach International Airport to be renamed for the president, Trump’s private company filed trademark applications for “President Donald J. Trump International Airport,” “Donald J. Trump International Airport” and “DJT.”

As first reported by trademark attorney Josh Gerben, this is an unusual move, as a sitting president has never sought trademark rights ahead of getting a landmark or airport named after him.

It raises questions as to whether President Trump’s company would be able to charge a licensing fee for the airport to adopt the name, or profit from merchandise like clothing or jewelry that has the airport’s potential new name on it. 

“I should be very clear: these are trademark filings that are completely unprecedented,” Gerben wrote in the report. “Airport names almost always originate from the governmental body that owns or manages the facility. They are not owned or licensed by privately held entities.”

This also isn’t Trump’s first push to rebrand an airport in this name. Last month, Trump told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer he would unfreeze billions of dollars needed to build a rail tunnel between New York and New Jersey if Schumer agreed to rename New York’s Penn Station and Washington’s Dulles International Airport after him.

Schumer rejected the offer, adding that he didn’t have the power to deliver on the request.