Congressional candidate Victoria Doyle is suing Palm Beach County in an attempt to halt the process of renaming the Palm Beach International Airport after President Donald Trump.
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It’s the latest lawsuit within a month to challenge the renaming plan.
As Doyle walked out of the county courthouse in West Palm Beach on Wednesday morning, she held up her newly filed complaint.
“We did it,” said Doyle, who this year is challenging U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel in the 23rd Congressional District.
Earlier this year, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law granting the state authority to rename all seven of the state’s major airports, with a specific change proposed to turn Palm Beach International Airport into “Donald J. Trump International Airport.” The change is estimated to cost $5.5 million, for which state lawmakers have requested funding.
In early May, county commissioners voted 4-3 to approve a naming rights and license agreement to comply with the state law and create legal protections for the county.
Through her lawsuit, Doyle is seeking an injunction to stop county officials from moving forward with the airport renaming until the fate of another, separate lawsuit is determined.
The other lawsuit was filed in April by a pilot, George W. Poncy Jr., who is suing Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Transportation. Poncy’s lawsuit alleges the renaming could lead to safety risks and communication issues for pilots and air traffic controllers, among other concerns.
On Wednesday morning, Poncy said his lawsuit is awaiting a ruling on when an injunction hearing will occur.
If the renaming process were to move forward before the court weighs in on Poncy’s lawsuit, Doyle argues in her complaint there would be a “likelihood of irreparable harm,” which includes “loss of taxpayer funds and significant alterations to PBI.”
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“We think this is an unconstitutional renaming, and it deprived the people of Palm Beach County the right to vote on an airport the county owns,” Doyle said Wednesday.
In a statement sent to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Palm Beach County Administrator Joseph Abruzzo reiterated that the county had “zero role or discretion in the renaming itself and did not vote on the name change.”
“The only item voted on by the (Board of County Commissioners) was a licensing agreement pursuant to the new law in order to protect the airport and taxpayers from potential trademark-related disputes and to ensure the county had clear legal authority to use the name pursuant to the state’s mandate without future exposure,” Abruzzo said.
Florida Republicans backed the state law that calls for the airport’s renaming.
In February, Melbourne Republican Sen. Debbie Mayfield, who sponsored the Senate bill for the renaming, said the president has delivered strong results “decisively for our state and our nation,” and the airport was a good match for his name.
“Remember, he is a resident of Palm Beach County,” Mayfield said at the time. “He has had real estate in Mar-a-Lago for years in Palm Beach County before he made this his permanent residence.”
Meanwhile, the renaming has received many criticisms from Democratic lawmakers, including over the cost.
Doyle, who is a trademark attorney, is representing herself in the lawsuit. She said the possibility exists for a judge to consolidate her lawsuit with Poncy’s as they both argue the renaming is unconstitutional.
“It is an insult to the people who live in this county and use that airport to rub his name in our face every time we drive around or fly somewhere,” she said.
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