Florida’s Republican-dominated state legislature passed a bill on Thursday, February 19, 2026, to rename Palm Beach International Airport as “President Donald J. Trump International Airport”, marking one of the most prominent public facilities to bear the name of the sitting U.S. president.
The measure, sponsored by state Senator Joe Gruters (R-Sarasota) and Representative Mike Caruso (R-Delray Beach), passed comfortably in both chambers. The Florida Senate approved the bill with a 28–11 vote earlier in the week, and the House of Representatives gave final concurrence on Thursday with a 78–35 margin, largely along party lines. The legislation now heads to Governor Ron DeSantis, who is widely expected to sign it into law despite his past political rivalry with Trump during the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
If enacted and subsequently approved by federal authorities, the renaming would apply to the main commercial airport serving Palm Beach County, located just 3 miles west of downtown West Palm Beach and approximately 8 miles from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach. The airport handled more than 6.5 million passengers in 2025 and serves as a major gateway for domestic and international flights to South Florida’s affluent coastal communities.
State records and legislative tracking documents confirm the bill’s passage. Proponents argued that the renaming would honor Trump’s economic policies, his role in revitalizing American manufacturing and trade, and his deep personal and political ties to Palm Beach County, where he has maintained a primary residence since the 1980s.
“President Trump has done more for Florida and for America than almost any leader in modern history,” Senator Gruters said in a statement following the vote. “This is a fitting tribute to a man whose leadership has brought jobs, investment, and pride back to our state.”
The proposal has drawn both strong support and sharp criticism. Supporters, including many Republican lawmakers and local business leaders in Palm Beach County, view the renaming as a celebration of Trump’s second-term agenda and his influence on Florida’s rapid economic growth. Critics—including Democrats and some independent observers—have called it an inappropriate politicization of public infrastructure and a potential violation of long-standing norms against naming major civic facilities after sitting presidents.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who endorsed Trump after suspending his own 2024 presidential campaign, is expected to sign the bill. Sources close to the governor’s office indicate he views the measure as a local decision within the state’s authority over naming conventions for state-operated facilities.
However, the renaming cannot take effect immediately. Palm Beach International Airport is a federally certified commercial service airport under the oversight of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). FAA regulations (14 CFR Part 77 and associated advisory circulars) require federal approval for any change to an airport’s official name, particularly when the facility receives federal Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants or is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS). The FAA must review the change to ensure it does not create confusion in aviation charts, navigation systems, air traffic control communications, or emergency response protocols.
A similar renaming process occurred in 2020 when New Orleans’ Louis Armstrong International Airport retained its name despite earlier proposals, and in 2016 when New York’s LaGuardia Airport underwent a partial branding update. FAA approval typically requires coordination with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to update global aeronautical databases.
The Palm Beach renaming proposal follows a series of recent efforts to associate Trump’s name with major public institutions. In December 2025, a Trump-backed board at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted to rename its governing body the “Trump-Kennedy Center”. Around the same time, legislation was introduced to add Trump’s name to the U.S. Institute of Peace headquarters in Washington, D.C. Earlier attempts to rename New York’s Penn Station and Washington Dulles International Airport after Trump did not advance.
The Treasury Department has also acknowledged internal discussions about issuing a commemorative one-dollar coin featuring Trump, although existing federal law (31 U.S.C. § 5112) prohibits depicting living persons on circulating U.S. currency except under very narrow exceptions.
On Thursday, images circulated online showing a large banner bearing Trump’s likeness displayed at the U.S. Department of Justice headquarters in Washington—an unusual sight for an agency historically insulated from overt partisan symbolism.
The Palm Beach renaming effort reflects continued momentum among Trump’s supporters to memorialize his legacy through public nomenclature. Palm Beach County has long been a stronghold of Trump support; he won the county decisively in both 2020 and 2024, and Mar-a-Lago remains one of his primary residences.
If approved by the FAA and signed into law by Governor DeSantis, the change would take effect following a transition period to update signage, flight information displays, airline ticketing systems, navigational charts, and emergency response databases.
The proposal has already sparked debate over the appropriateness of naming federally regulated public infrastructure after a sitting president. Aviation experts note that such changes are rare and typically reserved for posthumous honors or figures of broad national consensus.
As the measure advances to the governor’s desk and federal review, it is poised to become one of the most visible and symbolically significant tributes to Trump during his second term.
