An aerial view of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home after Trump said it was raided by FBI agents, in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., August 15, 2022.
Marco Bello | Reuters
Former President Donald Trump’s Florida properties, including his Mar-a-Lago club and various golf resorts, are outside the projected path of Hurricane Milton, a Category 5 storm expected to make landfall in the Florida Gulf Coast later this week.
But the Sarasota offices of Trump Media, the parent company of Truth Social, are located directly in the expected line of sight of the storm.
Mar-a-Lago, Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, and Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter are all located in Palm Beach County. Trump National Doral Miami is located in Miami-Dade County.
Both areas are outside the National Weather Service’s forecast for Milton, but these forecasts may change in the coming days.
Nonetheless, authorities declared a local state of emergency in both counties, which are under flood watch. Residents are encouraged to develop evacuation plans and prepare disaster kits as Milton’s expected path develops.
Meanwhile, the Truth Social office is located directly within the zone where Milton is expected to make landfall on the Gulf Coast late Wednesday.
Trump is the largest shareholder. trump mediaIt is a listed company that mainly operates the Truth Social platform.
In an August filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said it had reduced costs in part by reducing rent. But the most recent disclosure, filed Oct. 4, listed a Sarasota address and local phone number as the company’s primary office.
Trump Media did not immediately respond to CNBC’s questions about the office, how many employees work there, how often they work, and how the company is preparing for Milton. The former president does not directly own Sarasota office land.
October 7, 2024 NOAA is tracking Hurricane Milton.
Credit: NOAA
Milton is currently under construction in the Gulf of Mexico, with increasing strength per hour and sustained winds of 175 miles per hour. It is expected to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday.
“Time is running out,” Keith Turi, acting director of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Response and Recovery, said in a call with reporters Monday. “Today and tomorrow are for landing preparations.”
Trump’s Florida properties appear safe so far, but the storm has already disrupted some of his campaign plans.
The Republican presidential candidate was scheduled to tape a town hall with Univision, a major Spanish-language television network, in Miami on Tuesday. But as Milton’s intensity increased, the campaign decided to reschedule the taping to next Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Trump’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, is scheduled to tape her own separate Univision town hall in Nevada on Thursday.
Milton is expected to arrive in the southeastern United States late Wednesday, following Hurricane Helen, a Category 4 storm that swept through Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.
