PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A new letter to federal lawmakers is detailing the costs to local agencies in protecting former President Donald Trump in Palm Beach County and the town of Palm Beach.
According to the letter, from July 20 through Aug. 18, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office spent $2.8 million in protection costs.
Read the full letter addressed to lawmakers:
If costs remain the same, the bill will come out to $6.8 million by the end of the fiscal year.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue spent more than $42,000 so far this year.
The letter also cites costs for the town of Palm Beach. That community said it's seeing $3,600 a day in costs split between the fire rescue and police department.
Palm Beach County Mayor Maria Sachs said while the costs are necessary to keep the former president and the county's residents safe, she said taxpayers should not foot the bill.
That's where she said the federal government needs to step in.
"Palm Beach County is doing it the right way," Sachs said. "However, we want the federal government to reimburse the taxpayers of Palm Beach County for these extraordinary costs."
Sachs told WPTV that they've already received positive assurances from lawmakers regarding those costs.
When Trump was president, Palm Beach County incurred extra security costs. In December 2017, the county received $3.4 million from the federal government to cover overtime costs from Trump's visits.
