STUART, Fla. — Temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) from presidential visits in Palm Beach County are causing a noticeable uptick in weekend air traffic at Witham Field Airport in Martin County, leading to growing concerns among residents.
Paul Baublitz, a Stuart resident who lives just two miles from the airport's runway, shared his frustrations with WPTV over the noise levels. Baublitz said that he hears between 200 to 300 planes daily, with weekends being even more frequent.
"The frequency of large planes flying hundreds of feet above your house is ridiculous," Baublitz said.
Local officials explain that the surge in weekend air traffic is tied to the VIP TFRs in place for President Donald Trump's visits to his Mar-a-Lago home, which restrict flights into airports in Palm Beach County.
WATCH: WPTV is listening to concerns by residents about constant plane noise over their neighborhoods
WPTV Reporter Cassandra Garcia spoke with Andrew McBean, the airport director at Witham Field. He said that the airport is the first airport north of the TFRs, where a lot of traffic is being diverted.
However, McBean also said that, despite the increased weekend traffic, the overall number of flights at Witham Field has decreased. Data shows that the airport had about 200 fewer flights in February 2025, totaling 10,400 flights, compared to the same month in 2024.
“What the residents are experiencing is when the TFR is in effect, which is usually Friday to Sunday, that’s when the bulk of that traffic is compressed,” McBean said.
The airport received 24 noise complaints in February 2024 compared to just nine this last month.
The Heretick family also lives near the airport. They said they were once frequent callers of the noise complaint hotline, but they've since scaled back their calls because they feel it doesn't make a difference.
“You just get tired of calling,” Heretick said.
For the Hereticks and other residents, living near Witham Field has become a reality they’ve learned to accept. However, they note the noise has only gotten louder over the years.
“Even without the flight restrictions, there are a lot of planes and a lot of noise," Heretick said. "It wasn’t like that nine years ago."
