Photo: Alamy
The Federal Aviation Administration has established a one-year flight restriction around President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, blocking aircraft and drones from operating within one mile of the property regardless of whether the president is in residence.
The rule took effect at 8 a.m. Monday and will remain in place continuously through 8 a.m. on Oct. 20, 2026, according to the FAA notice. The order prohibits flights within a one-nautical-mile radius from the surface up to 2,000 feet over Mar-a-Lago.
The FAA warned that violators could face civil fines, loss of certification or criminal prosecution. Federal law also authorizes the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Justice to take immediate security actions against drones deemed a threat, including “interference, seizure, or destruction,” under the Presidential Threat Protection Act.
Officials said military aircraft, such as F-16 fighter jets, could be deployed to intercept unauthorized flights entering the restricted airspace.
The new restrictions follow a Secret Service discovery of a hunting stand overlooking the area where Air Force One typically parks at Palm Beach International Airport.
FBI Director Kash Patel stated that the hunting stand has not yet been connected to a particular person.
“Prior to the President’s return to West Palm Beach, USSS discovered what appeared to be an elevated hunting stand within sight line of the Air Force One landing zone,” Patel told Fox News Digital. “No individuals were located at the scene. The FBI has since taken the investigatory lead, flying in resources to collect all evidence from the scene, and deploying our cell phone analytics capabilities.”
The agency did not say whether that discovery directly prompted the FAA’s decision, but President Trump was the target of two assassination attempts in the months before his 2024 reelection.
The current order is less restrictive than those enacted during Trump’s visits to the property, when temporary flight bans are typically expanded. Still, the new rules are expected to divert more air traffic north of Palm Beach International’s main runway.
