Lawyer said in 1993 Trump would be prohibited from living there if town allowed him to convert property from a residence to a club
As the Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump loomed in Washington on Tuesday, a matter even more important to his immediate future was being discussed some 990 miles to the south by the town council of Palm Beach, Florida: whether the former president can continue living at Mar-a-Lago.
The council will hear their attorney’s opinion on whether it can stop Trump living at his club. Nearly 30 years ago, in 1993, a Trump lawyer told the town the New York property magnate would be prohibited from living at Mar-a-Lago, if the town allowed him to convert it from a residence to a club.
The promise, however, was not included in a written agreement which may now take precedence.
Technically, Trump is an employee of the corporation that owns Mar-a-Lago – and the written agreement only bars members from living there. Under town regulations, a club can provide onsite housing to employees. Trump moved into Mar-a-Lago on 20 January, the day he left office.
In December, the south Florida town received a letter from an attorney representing a Mar-a-Lago neighbor, demanding it stop Trump living there. The unnamed neighbor believes Trump’s residency will decrease property values.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/09/trump-mar-a-lago-residency-palm-beach-council