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Neighbor upset over proposed dock at President's Mar-a-Lago resort on Palm Beach

Posted at 6:02 PM, Dec 20, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-20 18:16:56-05

PALM BEACH, Fla. — A proposed dock at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club is being met with objections from at least one Palm Beach neighbor.

RELATED: President Trump expected to arrive in South Florida on Friday

"This is not Camp David, this is now Crawford, Texas, this is a barrier island, one way in and one way out," said attorney Frank Lynch, who is representing the homeowner who lives next door.

Lynch said the President’s visits are already a major disruption for residents on Palm Beach who must put up with restrictions, road blocks, and security checkpoints just to get out of their homes.

"The proposed purpose of the dock is for security concerns revolving around the president," said Josh Martin, director of Palm Beach Planning and Zoning.

Plans submitted to the town call for a 75-foot dock that would be 32 feet out in the Lake Worth Lagoon and would allow docking space for Coast Guard and law enforcement vessels.

The application has already won approval with the Palm Beach Landmarks Preservation Commission and now goes to the Town Council on Jan. 9.

Lynch, who said his client is a woman in her 80’s, questioned the need for the dock for security, pointing out there is a helipad on the Mar-a-Lago property.

"I don’t think putting him on a boat and floating him up the intracoastal is the best way to get the president out of there with all due respect," said Lynch.