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Local small business owner says flight restrictions during president's visits will ground business

Posted at 10:48 PM, Jan 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-20 23:51:46-05

Local small business owner says her aerial advertising business will be grounded every time President Donald Trump travels to Palm Beach. 

Imagine losing at least a week of income every month for the next four years. That's what some business owners may be facing after hearing President Trump could be traveling to Palm Beach at least once a month.

During Presidential visits, the Secret Service places flight restrictions around Mar-A-Lago along with closing some roads and blocking certain waterways around the property. 

Many Palm Beach residents are excited that Donald Trump is now President of the United States.

"I think it's very exciting to have somebody from your hometown end up being President," said Mark, a Palm Beach resident. 

"We are extremely happy. I was glued to the television during the election and I was glued all morning long," said Zoya Soane, also a Palm Beach resident. 

A sign reading "President Trump Godspeed' flew over Mar-A-Lago on inauguration day. The irony - the business hired to fly it may lose income every time President Trump returns to the 'Winter White House.' 

 

"In December of this last year, Trump was here for the holidays and we lost about four-thousand dollars just in not being able to fly," said Hadley Doyle-Gonzalez, owner of SkyWords Advertising. 

Doyle-Gonzalez says the Federal Aviation has notified her that every time the president is in town there will be flight restrictions within a 30 mile radius of Mar-A-Lago, which means her small business operating out of Lantana Airport will be grounded. 

"We are a small example of what many people in Palm Beach County and elsewhere are going through. Any change there will be negatives and positives," added Doyle-Gonzalez. 

She says the FAA is trying to find ways to alleviate the restrictions, but right now the plans in place will impact flight schools and any other businesses using Lantana Airport as home base. 

"Trump is expected to be here about once a month so take a look at your own income and take a week away every month for maybe four years and that's a big impact on any business," said Doyle-Gonzalez. 

A spokesperson for the FAA is working to get more information about the potential restrictions. We've also reached out to the Coast Guard to find out if any permanent changes are taking place in the waterways surrounding Mar-A-Lago.