PALM BEACH, Fla. — Many call Mar-a-Lago the Winter White House.
President Trump expects to return home frequently during his next term in office. And security will be at an all-time high when he comes back.
"It's not the same security posture that you saw the first time Donald Trump was in the White House," said former Secret Service and Homeland Security agent Tim Miller. "Everything has changed."
Miller says the duel threats of terrorism and high-tech weapons makes protecting the president more challenging than ever.
Right now, South Ocean Drive, the busy Palm Beach road where Mar-a-Lago lies, is open. But security checkpoints will pop up several days before the president returns and will stay up during his time here.
"It's problematic because people can come in and out of Mar-a-Lago, because in essence it's the most unique presidential home in presidential history," added Miller, who said security will be tight even when President Trump is away from the area.
Air traffic security will also be tight.
Palm Beach County
What will another Trump presidency mean for Palm Beach County security measures?
When the president is at the resort, commercial flights will have to divert their flight paths from flying near Mar-a-Lago, to at least a mile away.
That forces northbound flights to go directly over West Palm Beach's Flamingo Park neighborhood.
Some homeowners hate it.
"It's just been a change in the way we live around here. You don't want to be outside," said homeowner John Olivero. "You can't have your windows open."
Protecting the president may take a toll on local taxpayers.
"We have been spending a lot of money protecting the president," said Palm Beach County Commissioner Maria Sachs, a Democrat who says having the president call Palm Beach County home should be considered positive and good for the region.
Sachs says the county's sheriff's office spent more than $13 million protecting the president in 2024, and only some of that has been reimbursed by the federal government.
Commissioner Sachs says security will cost Palm Beach County taxpayers millions more over the next four years.
Trump
Protecting Trump: Letter shows how much it's costing local agencies
She's asking Congress to budget money to reimburse the county for the cost of protecting the president during his Mar-a-Lago stays.
"Now that he has become president of the United States, I do believe there won't be any issues with us receiving reimbursement," said the commissioner. "Complete reimbursement."
In addition to Mar-a-Lago, expect tight security and possible roadblocks around President Trump's golf courses.
This kind of protection requires a lot of manpower, as law enforcement learned during an attempt on the president's life in September.
