Trump can stay at Mar-a-Lago legally — as a ‘bona fide’ employee, Palm Beach town attorney says

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The final word on whether former President Donald Trump can live at his Mar-a-Lago estate is out, and some of his neighbors in Palm Beach won’t like it.

Some of Trump’s neighbors alleged that the former president is in violation of a 1993 agreement with the town that limits how many days members of the Mar-a-Lago Club can stay in the estate’s guest suites. But he is free to live there — as a bona fide employee, according to Palm Beach town attorney John “Skip” Randolph.

Randolph reviewed the 1993 Declaration of Use Agreement, and determined the agreement doesn’t specifically prohibit Trump from living at Mar-a-Lago. He also advised that under the town’s zoning code, private clubs can provide living quarters for bona fide employees.

The Town’s Code defines an employee as “any person generally working onsite for the establishment and includes sole proprietors, partners, limited partners, corporate officers and the like.”

Town officials didn’t object to Randolph’s legal findings and wouldn’t have to take action on the matter, said Town Manager Kirk Bloudin. They had already discussed it at a town meeting in February, when Town Council President Margaret Zeidman said she didn’t see any violations that would prohibit Trump from living at the 17-acre estate.

John Marion, Trump’s lawyer in Palm Beach, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel in February that Trump is “like the mayor of the town of Mar-a-Lago.”

Trump’s duties include overseeing the property, evaluating employees, suggesting improvements, greeting guests, recommending events and reviewing and approving members, Marion said.