Rec Sports
Trump security costs force the county to consider user fees and cuts
County commissioners will learn Tuesday just how much Trump security costs have impacted next year’s budget.
Higher costs incurred by Palm Beach County to provide security for President Donald Trump have created unprecedented challenges for officials to craft a state-mandated balanced budget.
Under consideration to plug the budget gap: Parking fees for all beachfront parks in the county; hourly fees for youth sports organizations to use athletic fields; and a $20 million cut to the budget of Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, on top of an already agreed-upon cut of $37 million.
Palm Beach County commissioners will discuss preliminary data prepared by the Office of Management and Budget during a workshop May 20. They are expected to address County Administrator Verdenia Baker’s recommended cuts and user-fee increases.
County officials spend about $45 million annually to protect Trump, who was eligible for Secret Service protection after his first term ended in 2021. The figure could even be higher or lower depending on how often he visits Mar-a-Lago, his estate in Palm Beach. In February, he was there every weekend.
Between July 20 and Nov. 10, 2024, sheriff’s deputies incurred more than 100,000 hours of overtime providing security for Trump, first as a candidate and then as president-elect. Some deputies worked nearly 20 hours of overtime in a single day guarding Trump.
Bradshaw had requested more than $47 million in his proposed budget to replace vehicles and update information technology equipment. He reduced the figure by $37 million to comply with Baker’s budget-cut request, putting off those capital improvements into future years.
According to county budget documents, presidential security costs have resulted in reserves or surplus funds being cut to $368 million, a reduction of $58 million. The reserve, a rainy-day type fund to pay for unexpected emergency costs, has now fallen to 24% of total revenues, a 10-year low that could affect the county’s triple-A bond rating.
The goal is a 35% reserve rate. A lower bond rating would result in county taxpayers would pay more to borrow money.
Despite the $37 million reduction, the sheriff’s budget is nearly $1 billion, an increase of more than 13%, well over the inflation rate. Bradshaw is resisting any further cuts to his budget. Without the $20 million cut, the budget risks not being balanced. The preliminary budget to be generated from county property taxes is $1.5 billion, an increase of 4%.
A bill has been introduced in Congress to reimburse the county for its Trump security costs, but there is no guarantee that it will pass. And it is also not clear what period of time would be affected. Should the revenue be received, Bradshaw’s budget could then be boosted, according to budget officials.
Without the money, the county may have to raise its tax rate or dip further into the reserve to fund necessary operations. Baker asked department heads to determine whether they could cut their spending plans, raise revenues, or both, to help balance the budget.
One of the more controversial user fees under consideration is a charge of $5 per hour per athletic field used by nonprofit youth sports organizations. The proposal is already getting strong pushback.
“It may not sound like a lot, but it is enough to make sports for youth unaffordable for many families in Palm Beach County,” said Tom Ferraro, who oversees the West Boca Youth baseball program. He said his nonprofit alone probably spends over 1,000 hours on county baseball fields in a single season. Many kids play multiple sports, he noted.
“We can’t absorb these costs,” he said. “We would have to pass them along to the parents. In a county like this, parents should not have to choose what sports their kids play.”
Budget workshop will include discussion of first-ever user fees for use of athletic fields by youth organizations
Ferraro said he has already started a petition to stop the county from imposing such a fee.
The Parks Department said it is the only agency in the area that does not charge for this use. The agency reported that the increase will generate $351,000, which will help support field maintenance and the long-term sustainability of athletic programs.
Parks Director Jennifer Cirillo said her department has faced ever-rising costs and that the user-fee levies are designed to take pressure off property taxes to fund programs. She noted that 84% of her budget comes from property taxes. “We are trying to lower that figure,” she noted.
The Parks Department would raise another $4.2 million by expanding beach-parking fees of $4 an hour to the 12 county beaches that do not charge for parking. Currently, parking fees are only charged at R.G. Kreusler Park in Palm Beach and South Inlet Park in Boca Raton. Fees would be raised from $3 to $4 an hour there.
“Implementing consistent parking fees across all County beach parks will provide a sustainable funding source to enhance public safety, maintain beach facilities, and support operational costs,” according to the budget document, “and support rising operational and maintenance costs associated with beach facilities.”
Other increases include raising the annual boat-trailer permit fee to $50 from $35 and general admission fees at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in suburban Delray Beach to $17 from $16.
Usually, the budget workshop is not held until sometime in June, when the property appraiser has developed preliminary assessment data that can be used to help compute the tax levy. However, Baker is set to retire June 1, and the administration wants to brief the County Commission before her departure. The current millage or tax rate is $4.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.
Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and issues concerning HOAs. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.