PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump's private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach is temporarily laying off 153 workers because of the new coronavirus, according to a notice posted this week to a state website.
The club's director of human resources, Janine Gill, wrote in a letter to state and local officials that Mar-a-Lago began halting business last month as a result of mandated closures issued in Palm Beach County in response to the virus's spread in South Florida.
The furloughs are temporary, but the club doesn't know when it will resume regular operations, Gill said. The furloughed workers include bartenders, cooks, dishwashers, drivers, attendants, housekeepers, servers and valet attendants. The workers are not unionized.
Mar-a-Lago serves as Trump's refuge from Washington, and the president often spends his time there mixing work, business and pleasure in the company of dues-paying members.
The Trump National Doral Miami resort, where President Trump initially wanted to host this year's Group of Seven summit, also has temporarily laid off 560 workers.
