Posted on 01/12/2025 4:51:53 PM PST by fluorescence
The Southern Bridge that connects the nether end of tony Palm Beach Island to the mainland city of West Palm Beach was once a calm overpass where people strolled alongside Bentleys over the Intracoastal Waterway. But since Donald Trump’s victory in November’s presidential election, news crews have amassed on the West Palm side, while tourists are huddled on a small island adjacent to the bridge, iPhone cameras fully zoomed in and aimed at Mar-a-Lago, which sits just yards away.
All are hoping to catch a glimpse of the bustling activity at the president-elect’s beach club estate home and club, which Trump called the “Winter White House” during his first term. In addition to a steady flow of world leaders, tech moguls once critical of Trump — including Elon Musk, Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg and Hollywood heavyweights like David Zaslav and Ari Emanuel — all have made the pilgrimage in recent days. According to Trump’s social media, Bill Gates is expected any minute. Mar-a-Lago, where memberships now go for a cool million, also has been the site of many events and parties studded with right-leaning celebrities, such as a nonprofit gala attended by Russell Brand and Mel Gibson, a concert by Beach Boy Mike Love, and a New Year’s Eve bash where Lara Trump got up onstage to belt out Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down’’ and Musk and Trump awkwardly fist-pumped to “Y.M.C.A.”
Locals long have prized Palm Beach for its restrained serenity. That sense of calm was disrupted during the pandemic by an influx of wealthy New Yorkers and West Coasters drawn to Florida’s lax COVID restrictions and lower taxes. This year, well-heeled swarms have reached previously unseen levels, with Trump calling Palm Beach “the center of the universe’’ and developer Steve Ross dubbing it “the...
(Excerpt) Read more at hollywoodreporter.com ...
Palm Beach is well manicured by Florida standards.
Otherwise, I don’t much care for it.
Florida tax rates are about average, but our real estate valuations are quite substantial.
I personally am well-positioned by Florida tax mitigation law.
The main problem in Florida is insane homeowners insurance rates.
“Silicon Valley”
We have a colonial economy with palm trees.
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