The Palm Beach Quiet Skies Coalition on Oct. 21 asked the Federal Aviation Administration to study the effect of flights on neighborhoods under the new flight paths before it makes the Mar-a-Lago restriction permanent. The group’s request came the same day the original restriction expired and the FAA issued a temporary flight restriction.
The new temporary restriction keeps the one-mile zone around the clock, whether or not the President is in residence. It runs through Oct. 20, 2027, or until the FAA issues a final rule. The agency says the measure holds the current restriction in place while it reviews public comments on its proposal to make the rule permanent.
Residents in Flamingo Park and Historic El Cid in West Palm Beach, and in the Estate Section of Palm Beach, say jets fly overhead late at night and before dawn. According to the Palm Beach County Department of Airports, the airport logged 12,123 noise complaints in the first eleven months after the restriction took effect, up from 113 over the same dates a year earlier.
The coalition wants the FAA to explain why the restricted zone is 2,000 feet high when the Secret Service originally asked for 1,000 feet, and to evaluate a 1,000-foot zone. It also asked for a public meeting in Palm Beach County and a review at least every two years. The county has asked the FAA for departures to return over the ocean, where they flew until October 2025.
More than 1,300 submissions reached the FAA docket by the Oct. 2 deadline. The coalition’s petition has more than 2,100 signatures. Residents can learn more at palmbeachquietskies.org.
