Donald J. Trump Blvd. update: When will West Palm and Palm Beach vote on the name change?

• Florida State Rep. Chuck Brannan formally requested West Palm Beach and Palm Beach to vote on renaming part of Southern Boulevard after former President Donald Trump.
• The proposed “President Donald J. Trump Boulevard” would span a four-mile stretch of the road between Mar-a-Lago and Palm Beach International Airport.
• While state and county officials have already approved the name change, final approval rests with the two cities.

Both West Palm Beach and Palm Beach are poised to vote on whether to rename a 4-mile stretch of Southern Boulevard for President Donald Trump after receiving an official request this week from a key state lawmaker.

State and county leaders have already approved renaming the easternmost part of the major state thoroughfare as “President Donald J. Trump Boulevard.” But under state rules, changing road markers also requires approval by the two cities that the stretch of road runs through.

West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James told The Palm Beach Post this week he would schedule a vote once he received a formal request for support from the sponsor of the legislative bill that authorized the name change.

On Thursday, Aug. 6, the sponsor, state Rep. Chuck Brannan, R-Lake City, sent a letter to James and Palm Beach Mayor Danielle Moore requesting that a “proclamation in support” of the name change be considered at the next meeting of each city’s governing body.

“Part of this bill designates a portion of Southern Boulevard between Kirk Road and S. Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach County as ‘President Donald J. Trump Boulevard,” the letter states. “Before erecting the markers for the road designation (the Florida Department of Transportation) requires that counties and local municipalities pass a proclamation supporting the designation.”

After receiving the letter, a West Palm Beach spokesperson said a vote would likely be scheduled for the city commission's Sept. 2 meeting.

"We received a letter requesting a proclamation from the representative yesterday, and anticipate being able to make the deadline for the item to be included in the September 2nd commission meeting agenda," spokesperson Kathleen Joy said via email.

Palm Beach’s town manager said the town council would schedule an initial vote on the renaming request for Tuesday, Aug. 12.

James said in an interview earlier in the week that he had been waiting for a request from the bill sponsor before setting up a commission vote.

“Once we receive the sponsor’s request we will take those steps,” James told The Post. “I will follow the designated process.”

Lawmaker who proposed change receives note of gratitude

The move sets up what could prove to be a divisive vote in the Democratic-leaning city, where many residents have said they don’t want a prominent city street to bear the president’s name.

The stretch of Southern Boulevard to be renamed runs 4 miles from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach through West Palm Beach to Palm Beach International Airport, tracking the path the president takes to his home after arriving at the airport on Air Force One.

The renaming request was originally filed by state Rep. Meg Weinberger, R-Palm Beach Gardens, but the proposal was folded into a larger bill sponsored by Brannan containing several proposed road-renamings around the state.

That bill, House Bill 987, passed the Legislature and was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis in June. Palm Beach County commissioners approved it unanimously last month, leaving it to West Palm Beach and Palm Beach to cast the final votes.

Weinberger said in an interview that she filed the proposal as a way to honor Trump in a prominent way near his residence.

“I just felt that it’s where he lives and he’s certainly endured so much,” she said. “I truly believe he comes from a good place and I feel like everything he’s done is for the people, and I have a lot of respect for that.”

Last month Weinberger received a letter of gratitude from Trump for her role in the renaming effort.

“I greatly appreciate the integral role you played in passing the legislation to make this incredible honor possible and commend your hard work on behalf of the great citizens of Florida,” the president wrote in a July 17 letter.

The first-year legislator said that she sent her own letter to West Palm Beach city leaders asking them to schedule a vote but never heard back about one being scheduled.

She said she was glad to hear that Brannan’s request had triggered a vote in Palm Beach and that West Palm Beach had indicated it would likely follow suit.

James declined to comment on whether he thought commissioners should approve the renaming. Commissioner Christina Lambert, whose district includes the stretch of Southern Boulevard in question, also declined to comment.

Palm Beach Daily News staff writer Kristina Webb contributed to this story.

Andrew Marra is a reporter at The Palm Beach Post. Reach him at [email protected].