Palm Beach, Florida, Town Council President Margaret Zeidman confirmed that former President Donald Trump is allowed to live at his Mar-a-Lago property amid disputes.
“It seems there is nothing … that would prohibit him from living in the owner’s suite,” Zeidman said, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
After departing Washington D.C. on Jan. 20, Trump moved back to the Mar-a-Lago resort.
Neighbors of Trump have alleged that the former president is in violation of the town’s ordinances and want him evicted.
On Tuesday, the Palm Beach Town Council addressed Trump’s residency at the resort but did not hold a vote.
John Marion, Trump’s lawyer in Palm Beach, argued that there is nothing in an agreement with the town’s ordinances that prevents the former president from residing at Mar-a-Lago. Trump, he added, can live there under the town’s zoning rules because he’s a “bona fide employee” there, according to the paper.
“This guy as he wanders the property is like the mayor of the town of Mar-a-Lago if you will,” Marion said. “He is always present. … He loves it there, and he loves the people that he sees there. He enjoys it. It is his home.”
According to Marion, Trump’s duties include evaluating employees, overseeing the sprawling property, conducting events, and other responsibilities.
Philip Johnston, a representative for Preserve Palm Beach, argued that Trump’s presence would spoil the town’s atmosphere.
“We feel that this issue threatens to make Mar-a-Lago into a permanent beacon for his more rabid, lawless supporters,” Johnston claimed, without providing evidence or a reason why.
John C. Randolph, Palm Beach’s town attorney, said in a memorandum (pdf) last week that Trump’s right to reside at Mar-a-Lago may hinge on whether he is technically employed there, as local laws stipulate that “a private club may provide living quarters for its bona fide employees only.”
“This issue, therefore, hinges primarily on whether former President Trump is a bona fide employee of the club,” Randolph wrote.
Around the same time, Trump’s lawyers said a 1993 usage agreement for Mar-a-Lago did not say whether the owner of the property could not reside there.
Randolph in the Tuesday meeting appeared to side with Marion, Trump’s lawyer.
“He oversees the property. He evaluates the performance of the employees—he’s constantly doing that. He suggests improvements relating to the operation of the club. … He reviews the club’s financials. He attends events at the club and welcomes the people that are guests,” he said, according to NPR. “He welcomes and thanks everybody that’s attending. He greets members and their guests as he sees them. He recommends the events to be held at the club. He suggests candidates for membership and signs the documentation relating to those members.”
The Epoch Times reached out to Trump’s team for comment.
From The Epoch Times
