PBSO: We Need $45 Million To Cover Extraordinary Costs Incurred For Trump Security
Source: Palm Beach Post, Mike Diamond
Photo: As Donald Trump left Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, PBSO K-9 units checked out cars parked on Bingham Island who gathered to watch the motorcade pass by, November 27, 2016. (Melanie Bell/The Palm Beach Post) © Palm Beach Post files
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) needs an extra $45.3 million from county commissioners to pay for massive amounts of overtime incurred by deputies providing security for President Donald Trump.
PBSO has called on county officials to provide it with a supplemental appropriation to cover the extraordinary costs borne by the agency before and after Trump won the November presidential election.
The county is seeking federal reimbursement but there is no guarantee that will happen and even if it does, budget officials say the county probably would not receive any funds until 2026. The reimbursement request only pertains to overtime for PBSO. The county is expected to incur significant fuel costs. At this time, there are no estimates of expenses incurred by other county agencies such as Fire Rescue. Also impacted is the Town of Palm Beach.
An email from PBSO to county officials, a copy of which has been obtained by the Palm Beach Post, details the overtime costs at roughly $130 an hour:
July 20, 2024-Sept. 30, 2024, $7.4 million for 56,983 hours of overtime
Oct. 1, 2024-Nov. 10, 2024, $5.8 million for 45,001 hours of overtime
Nov. 11, 2024-March 31, 2025, $25.4 million (estimate)
April 1, 2025-Sept. 30, 2025, $6.8 million (estimate)
The supplemental appropriation is expected to be discussed during a budget workshop on Tuesday, Jan. 28. The county budget approved last year did not include any funds for presidential security; PBSO contends it never expected to spend this much money on presidential security.
County Mayor Maria Marino said there is a federal policy in place for reimbursement, noting that the county should be able to recoup the costs of coverage while President Trump is in office as it did during his first term. She added there is a request in for reimbursement for costs incurred while President Trump was president-elect and before.
“As to how the sheriff gets these additional dollars initially from the county will be discussed in the sunshine,” Marino said, noting that the reimbursement, if it does come, may not arrive until the next fiscal year.
The expense of protecting President Trump skyrocketed after the second assassination attempt on his life at his West Palm Beach golf course on Sept. 15.
For the 30-day period ending Aug. 18, PBSO incurred $2.8 million in overtime costs. For the following 30-day period, the figure was nearly double that amount. Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a news conference following the September assassination attempt that PBSO would do whatever is required to protect Trump. Commissioner Maria Sachs, who was county mayor at the time, wrote a letter to the county’s congressional delegation calling for the federal government to reimburse the county for expenses related to presidential security. Bradshaw, Sachs and Palm Beach Mayor Danielle Moore all signed the letter.
Seven years ago, Congress enacted into law the Presidential Residence Protection Assistance Grant program. For the four years ending in 2020, more than $120 million was appropriated, and Palm Beach County was reimbursed for its expenses for securing Mar-a-Lago. The law has expired but Marino believes that precedent has been established to make it possible for the county to be reimbursed once again.
Under that law, Palm Beach County was able to receive $17 million from the federal government for presidential security related to protecting President Trump during his first term. Those costs pale in comparison to what is expected to be incurred for the second Trump administration, which has barely begun. For example, in the nine weeks ending Sept. 30, expenses totaled more than $7 million, which is equal to nearly half of what was incurred during the entire four years of the first Trump administration.
County Administrator Verdenia Baker said she has been working with county’s congressional delegation to approve new legislation to allow for reimbursement of costs incurred while Trump campaigned for the office and after he was president-elect. Baker said the previous legislation only allowed for reimbursement after he became president. That bill had bipartisan support as New York City was also able to recover security costs as well.
Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com.