PALM BEACH, Fla. — WPTV is taking a closer look at the military operation protecting the skies above Palm Beach County and the number of aircraft that have crossed into restricted airspace around Mar-a-Lago since President Donald Trump returned to office.
According to the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, fighter pilots have intercepted more than 60 aircraft violating Temporary Flight Restrictions around Palm Beach since January 2025.
WATCH BELOW: NORAD intercepted 60+ aircraft near Mar-a-Lago since 2025
"Since January of 2025, there have been over 60 intercepts that we've had to accomplish," said Major Anthony Olive, an F-15 pilot and senior operations duty officer with NORAD.
When announcing the number during a media briefing held Tuesday at President Donald J. Trump International Airport, Olive's reaction was immediate.
"I would say so. I would say that's a lot," said Olive.
The briefing comes as WPTV continues reporting on the impact the restrictions have had on communities below, including concerns about increased aircraft noise in parts of West Palm Beach and Palm Beach.
In May, Palm Beach County Commissioner Gregg Weiss told WPTV the rerouted flight paths have impacted approximately 20,000 residents.
The restrictions, known as TFRs, are routinely put in place when Trump is staying at Mar-a-Lago. NORAD officials told WPTV they do not create the restrictions. Instead, the restrictions are established by the Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. Secret Service, while NORAD is responsible for enforcing them.
"We're here to enforce the TFR and to ensure the safety of everyone, to include the individuals on the ground, the airplanes that are flying in the air as well, to make sure nobody violates the TFR, and if they do, to make sure that they're escorted safely out of the TFR as well, basically to keep the airspace clean," Olive said.
NORAD officials shared a demonstration video where WPTV was given a close look at the fighter aircraft and personnel responsible for protecting the restricted airspace.
Pilots assigned to the mission are not waiting on the ground for a violation to occur.
When asked whether they launch after a violation or patrol routinely, one pilot's answer was simple:
"Regularly patrol," the pilot replied.
Officials said fighter jets are already in position before the restrictions take effect.
"When the TFR goes active, we're already airborne, and we're there," Olive said.
If a pilot enters restricted airspace without authorization, NORAD receives notification through air traffic control.
"We're already airborne. They'll give us a point out; we'll find it with our radar, we'll go check it out, and basically get their intention, what they're looking to do," Olive said. "If they're just a person who doesn't know they're not supposed to be there, then we'll help escort them out of the TFR safely."
Despite the number of interceptions, officials said the overwhelming majority involve pilots making mistakes, not people attempting to threaten the restricted airspace.
"I would say the majority, that is correct," Olive said. "There's also a majority of it where they have the proper code, they have the proper clearance, they just forget to squawk the right code, so they take off, they have a clearance, they're good to go, but they haven't punched in that clearance in their airplane, and then they do so on departure, but we still have to scramble on them because we don't know their intention because they're not squawking the right code."
Asked whether any of the interceptions he has handled involved bad intentions, Olive said: "Not, I don't, no, not from my experience, no, they're just people who forget or who have not done the proper flight planning."
Officials say most of the aircraft involved are not large commercial jets.
"The majority would be smaller Cessnas, single-engine planes for sure," said Olive.
Palm Beach presents unique challenges, according to NORAD, because of the large amount of general aviation traffic in the area.
"I'd say Mar-a-Lago is interesting. It's different from up north," one pilot said. "There's more general aviation down here due to the nice weather, the amount of flight schools that are around here, people want to fly up and down the coast, the banner towers, so we get more general aviation traffic down here for sure."
The restricted airspace itself consists of two zones.
"It's a temporary flight restriction," a pilot explained. "It encompasses a 10-mile ring centered at the airfield here, and then there's a 30-mile ring as well that extends beyond that. The 10-mile ring is essentially a no-fly zone."
Pilots operating inside the larger ring must follow special FAA procedures.
"You have to be on a flight plan. You have to be squawking a discrete code, and in comms with ATC."
Officials emphasized that while most violations are innocent mistakes, every response is treated seriously.
"We're always training to take it all the way to the conclusion that, hey, this is a person with bad intentions," Olive said. "Obviously that is a last, last resort. We're not there to hand down the judgment or the punishment; we're just there to enforce the TFR and escort them safely either to land or outside of the TFR."
Any penalties are handled by the FAA once the aircraft lands.
"We'll safely escort them out. We'll make sure that they land. We'll monitor them until they land at their destination," Olive said. "Upon landing, they'll be notified that they have a phone number to call that'll be a phone number that leads them to the FAA and then the FAA will deal with that."
Officials also stressed how closely NORAD and the FAA work together.
"It's imperative. We're completely intertwined," Olive said. "The FAA, they can't do their job without us. We can't do our job without them."
For residents wondering why military aircraft may be overhead during presidential visits, officials say the mission comes down to safety.
"Any time you have the president of the United States travel anywhere, that's a very high visibility movement, and it attracts a lot of attention not only within the United States but nationally as well," one pilot said.
And for pilots flying near Palm Beach, NORAD had a straightforward message:
"If you're going to fly, if you're an avid flyer, check your NOTAMs before you fly, just so everybody's safe, and you're not where you're not supposed to be."
When asked whether he had a message for Trump himself, the pilot smiled.
"Yeah, sir, we'll be above you, keeping you safe in the sky."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
