Palm Beach may slap Mar-a-Lago with big tax to pay for 'devastating' cost of Trump's weekend trips

President Donald Trump's weekend excursions to his private Mar-a-Lago resort cost American taxpayers more than $3 million per trip, but the club's home city of Palm Beach, Fla. is feeling the weight of paying for them even more acutely.

The Palm Beach Post reports that Palm Beach County Commissioner Dave Kerner is looking into classifying Mar-a-Lago as a "municipal service benefit unit," which would give the county power to slap the club with additional taxes to help it pay for the cost of the president's weekly trips.

The county is considering taking this measure because the federal government so far has been slow to reimburse the country for the costs associated with handling the president's trips. According to county estimates, the president's weekend trips have cost the county $570,000 so far, which is putting a strain on its other budget priorities.

Kerner tells the Palm Beach Post that Trump's trips have been particularly trying for the local airport, which faces major disruptions every time the president comes to town.

"The Lantana airport will be shut down any time the president is in town,” Kerner said. “We’ve bent over backwards. I get it. The president’s safety is paramount."

That said, Kerner notes that the costs associated with keeping Trump safe have "been devastating" so far.