Florida lawmakers on Tuesday began advancing a proposal that would give the state authority to rename Palm Beach International Airport after President Donald Trump, placing the airport alongside a nearby roadway already bearing his name.
The Senate Transportation Committee unanimously approved SB 706, sponsored by Sen. Debbie Mayfield, R-Indialantic. The bill would transfer naming authority for Florida’s seven major commercial service airports from local governments to the state, with the only immediate change being the renaming of Palm Beach International Airport to Donald J. Trump International Airport.
“As you know, President Trump is the first president that Florida has had in our country and our history, and I think it’s very appropriate for us to be naming one of the other icons in Palm Beach County after him,” Mayfield said, noting Trump’s residency in the county.
A revision to the bill approved Tuesday clarified that any name change would still require approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Palm Beach International Airport, originally known as Morrison Field, began commercial operations in 1936 and was renamed in 1948. The airport served as a military base during World War II and the Korean War before Palm Beach County assumed operations in 1959.
Mayfield said the proposal could have significant economic benefits for the county.
“Air Force One stays at their airport. And so, it’s a big economic driver for them,” she said. “We’ve talked to the Trump people. There’s a lot of other things that are going to be happening at that airport that are going to be very positive for that airport. So that’s what changed their mind.”
A House companion bill, HB 919, is scheduled to be heard on Wednesday by the Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee. SB 706 must also clear the Senate Community Affairs Committee and the Senate Rules Committee before reaching the full Senate.
During the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers renamed a four-mile stretch of Southern Boulevard in Palm Beach County — from Kirk Road near the airport to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club on South Ocean Boulevard — as President Donald J. Trump Boulevard.
The bill would not affect the names of Florida’s other major airports, including those in Orlando, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Jacksonville and Lee County.
