Editorial: Palm Beach residents once again in presidential spotlight

With former President Donald Trump’s electoral victory Tuesday for the White House, Palm Beach is once again finding itself in the international spotlight.
The town’s low-key, off-the-radar vibe started to wane when Mr. Trump — then a longtime seasonal resident — announced his first run for president in 2015, and it pretty much evaporated when he won the White House the next year. A frequent visitor to the island during his administration — he became an official Florida resident in 2019 — his presence brought with it increased security measures, visits by dignitaries and a steady stream of supporters and protesters, who often lined Southern Boulevard when his motorcade was due.
His loss in 2020 meant that, as a former president, he had reduced security. There were fewer on-the-street supporters and protesters, too, so things seemed almost normal.
But that all changed in July following an apparent assassination attempt on Mr. Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which was followed by a similar incident at his West Palm Beach golf course in September. The Secret Service upped his security protection almost to the level of a sitting president, which included closing a section of South Ocean Boulevard when he was in town.
His win Tuesday likely means the regular closure of the coastal road near his Mar-a-Lago Club — along with other security measures, such as changes in bridge schedules and restrictions on water traffic — will continue throughout his presidency.
There won’t be any change to how the road closure operates, Town Manager Kirk Blouin told the Daily News on Wednesday.
“Nothing has changed since the election,” he said. “The same rules apply when the protectee, meaning the president-elect, is in residence.”
Mr. Trump’s return to office likely will make the town’s difficult traffic situation even worse. Currently, the closure of South Ocean Boulevard effectively cuts the town in two and creates a hardship for folks on the South End who want to head north, or folks on the North End or Midtown who want to head south.
During his first term, residents got used to regular street closures as Mr. Trump made his way onto or off the island as well as increased security presence around Mar-a-Lago. But many are now frustrated with the seemingly constant road congestion, exacerbated by the increased traffic that accompanied the town’s pandemic-era real estate boom. The situation has have been made worse by the periodic lengthy closure of South Ocean.
Plans by Mr. Trump to have Mar-a-Lago serve as the base for his transition team also means residents may notice even more activity on the island between now and Inauguration Day in January.
Palm Beach has been a place of national and international fascination and a byword for celebrity and an elite lifestyle since the days when Henry Flagler built high-end resorts on the island in the 1880s. The fascination continues today: It’s not for nothing that Hollywood turned to Palm Beach when looking to launch a new series about the society of the rich and famous in “Palm Royale.”
Mr. Trump’s once-again heightened profile also means Palm Beach’s profile has been heightened, too, as both a tourist destination and the home of some of the most sought-after real estate in the world.
But people who actually live here tend to cherish privacy and quiet, and thanks to the election, those things will be harder to come by in the years ahead. We hope the president-elect’s team takes the wishes of his neighbors into account as he plans his transition now, and in the future, as he makes what surely will be many visits to Mar-a-Lago.
Being in the spotlight can’t be avoided if you live in Palm Beach. But the extra scrutiny that will come with a president again living in town will make that light shine hotter and brighter. Town officials will no doubt be called on, at least occasionally, to find ways to mitigate the intense focus the town is about to undergo, and protect what they can of the lifestyle that makes the town so attractive in the first place.