PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — President Donald Trump is seeking to turn Trump International Golf Club in Palm Beach County into "the permanent United States Presidential Golf Course," according to a letter from the golf club's attorney to county commissioners.
"Our client proposes to make the TIGC golf courses and amenities available to all past, current, and future U.S. Presidents regardless of party affiliation and all visiting foreign heads of state, at the discretion of the White House," the letter said.
According to the letter, TIGC would work with the General Services Administration and United States Secret Service "to design an appropriate Presidential lodging facility."
The Sept. 3 letter touted the course's proximity to the airport, South Florida weather, and in-place security — calling it "one of the most secure golf courses in the world" — as factors that made it "the ideal site for such a use"
"Just as Camp David, Windsor Castle, or the Elysee Palace are known worldwide, so too will the Presidential Golf Course in Palm Beach County," Attorney Harvey E. Oyer wrote in the letter.
Oyer said in the letter TIGC would pay the cost of constructing the lodging facility and would provide access to the facilities "at no cost to the federal government."
"This is a gift that the President would like to share with his successors, the people of America, and his fellow Palm Beach County residents," the letter said. "It should be noted that President Trump will be out of office before this proposed project could be completed so this is a gift to his successors."
The club is located on county-owned land and is leased long term to the club, according to the letter.
The letter proposes an agreement in which TIGC "grants the County a legal right" to the land for the lodging and other structures, with the county entering into a lease agreement with the federal government "so that the County controls the property as landlord."
The letter said the county would continue to control the asset if the federal government defaulted or no longer wanted to use the premises.
This is a developing story that may be updated as WPTV works to learn more.
Read the full letter here:
