It was built with the intention of becoming a winter retreat for presidents, now the Mar-a-Lago might be just that for President-elect Donald Trump. There are several events throughout the year at the Mar-a-Lago - the question now is whether security measures will change.
On Thursday, the Bethesda Hospital Foundation held it's "Women of Grace Luncheon", honoring five women for their personal commitment to the community.
Lisa Kronhaus of Bethesda Health said the Mar-a-Lago is the perfect place to hold their fundraiser.
“It’s an absolutely beautiful setting. And one of the few buildings in the county that can hold that many people,” Kronhaus said.
WPTV has covered numerous events at Mar-a-Lago, but this time was different.
A security team greeted our crew at the entrance, escorting us to the banquet hall. They had strict guidelines for us: only film the stage and nothing in the surrounding area, only film our own Ashleigh Walters who served as a speaker and don't talk to anyone in the room.
In fact security was so tight, the second our reporter pulled her phone out of her purse a little higher than normal, a security agent would come by and make sure she wasn't recording.
During the interview with Kronhaus, a security guard stood by and listened in.
When asked why he was there, he said he wanted to make sure we stuck to talking about the charity event.
Reporter: “Why are there things we’re not allowed to talk about?”
Security Guard: “We don’t want to go off into the presidency or politics.”
Before Donald Trump decided to run for president, the charity events held at Mar-a-Lago welcomed our cameras and reporters, with few restrictions.
Club members tell WPTV so far there are no new security protocols but they are expecting those to come down in the near future.
In terms of the many events held at the Mar-a-Lago there have not been any restrictions at this point.