Companion bills from Sen. Debbie Mayfield and Rep. Meg Weinberger preempting major commercial airport names to the state and naming Palm Beach International for President Donald Trump are encountering no turbulence in the process.
The House Commerce Committee advanced the Palm Beach Gardens Republican’s bill (HB 919). It is now ready for the floor.
The Senate Community Affairs Committee advanced Mayfield’s legislation (SB 706) shortly after, and that bill has one more committee stop.
The bills would make the brand identity name change at PBI contingent on approval by the Federal Aviation Administration and on an agreement between Palm Beach County and Trump for the commercial usage of his name.
Discussion in both committees was lively.
In House Commerce on Tuesday, Rep. Juan Porras introduced what he called a “very yuge” amendment to change the PBI name to “President Donald J. Trump International Airport.”
The amendment succeeded, and before the House panel voted to move the bill forward, Democrats had their say.
Rep. Michele Rayner said the bill represented “cognitive dissonance” in the Capitol, saying the renaming was “offensive as a woman, offensive as a Black woman, and disgusting.”
“Y’all are going to do what you want to do, but this is my vote, my debate, and the people of District 62 voted for me,” she said, deeming the bill a “joke.”
House Majority Leader Tyler Sirois countered that counties and other state edifices are named after Presidents, who are a “reflection of us and a reflection of the American people,” with many of those leaders controversial in their own time and far beyond.
In the Senate, Democrat Shevrin Jones asked for input from local governments before future renamings.
Mayfield said the local government more than likely would have pushed for the change to begin with.
