Palm Beach County, the Town of Palm Beach and West Palm Beach are pressing a federal appeals court to overturn the FAA’s year-round flight restriction around Mar-a-Lago in Florida, as rerouted commercial traffic pushes more aircraft over nearby residential neighbourhoods. The dispute has already generated more than 6,000 noise complaints and affected roughly 20,000 residents, with the airport changes now central to the legal fight in Washington.
The restriction began in October 2025 and bars flights within one nautical mile of Mar-a-Lago up to 2,000 feet, regardless of whether Donald Trump is present. Tighter concentric limits apply when he is at the property. Local officials argue the FAA moved too quickly on a Secret Service request and did not properly assess community impacts or follow required administrative and environmental procedures.
The FAA has defended the measure as a security-driven decision and has redesigned some approach paths to ease noise in parts of the area. Recent filings also indicate the Secret Service sought permanent restrictions, keeping open the possibility of a longer-lasting airspace change while the court case continues.