Palm Beach Tweaks Traffic Flow Near Mar-a-Lago as Trump's Road Closure Snarls Town

Palm Beach is scrambling to manage traffic chaos partly caused by the ongoing closure of South Ocean Boulevard adjacent to President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club, implementing new signals and reversing traffic patterns on the island's congested North End.

On March 24, the town activated a traffic signal at Sunset Avenue and Bradley Place and converted the 200 block of Sunset back to a two-way street after changing it to eastbound-only in 2023. Police Sgt. Michael Ogrodnick told the Palm Beach Daily News the transition has been "relatively smooth," with officers focused on educating drivers rather than issuing citations.

The changes target a notorious bottleneck where vehicles heading to the North End collide with shoppers entering and exiting Publix, hotel valets serving the White Elephant Palm Beach, and residents of the 333 Sunset Ave. and Biltmore condominiums. The intersection sits just north of Royal Poinciana Way, the town's historic commercial corridor.

But the traffic headaches extend far beyond this one intersection. South Ocean Boulevard between the Southern Boulevard traffic circle and South County Road has been shut down since March 3 with no reopening date announced. The closure, implemented for Trump's security, forces all traffic onto alternate routes through residential neighborhoods and commercial districts.

Town officials hired consultant Susan O'Rourke Engineering and Planning in summer 2024 to study whether a traffic signal at Bradley and Sunset would help. Her report concluded it would, and the Town Council approved the installation last August.

Police Chief Nicholas Caristo ordered two parking spaces removed at the west end of Sunset near Bradley to give trucks enough room to navigate the turn. Officers have been stationed at the intersection since the signal went live to guide confused motorists.

"We're going to continue to monitor it, and as necessary, our officers will mitigate if needed," Ogrodnick said. "But right now, it's running."

The traffic adjustments represent Palm Beach's latest attempt to accommodate the disruptions that come with hosting a sitting president who treats his private club as a second White House. Mar-a-Lago has become a hub for foreign dignitaries, political supplicants, and paying club members seeking access to Trump, all while the town's infrastructure strains under the security apparatus.

No crashes or citations have been reported at the reconfigured intersection so far, police said. Whether the changes will meaningfully ease congestion remains to be seen, particularly as long as the South Ocean Boulevard closure remains in effect.

The town has not announced any timeline for reopening the closed portion of South Ocean Boulevard, leaving residents and businesses to navigate the new normal of living next door to Trump's pay-to-play resort.