Palm Beach officials want changes to Secret Service road closure near Mar-a-Lago

With a Secret Service-initiated indefinite road closure taking effect Saturday morning on South Ocean Boulevard next to former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club, some Palm Beach officials have called for changes to the plan.

The closure extends from the Southern Boulevard traffic circle north along South Ocean Boulevard to South County Road. The move is aimed at improving security for Trump in the wake of the July 13 assassination attempt.

A gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Pennsylvania, shot at Trump as the Republican nominee for president spoke at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump's right ear was grazed, and three other people were shot, one fatally. Crooks was shot and killed by the Secret Service.

The Palm Beach Police Department said Thursday that the closure will be in effect 24 hours a day, seven days a week until at least the Nov. 5 general election.

Residents in the area affected by the closure can only enter and exit through the north end of the closure, at the intersection of South County Road and South Ocean Boulevard, officials said. The roadway is closed to vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.

"The U.S. Secret Service has made this decision, neither Town Officials nor the Town Council," Palm Beach said in its Friday alert. "The Town is working closely with the U.S. Secret Service to minimize the impacts of this road closure. The Town plans to pursue legal options to ensure that the road remains open in the absence of the protected person(s) in residence."

Here's what Palm Beach officials told the Daily News about the closure:

Mayor Danielle Moore expressed concerns about closing down South Ocean Boulevard near Mar-a-Lago when Trump was not there, telling the Daily News she has heard from numerous residents who were opposed to those plans.

"I certainly understand why the Secret Service has reacted that way after the tragedy of last weekend," she said Friday. "That being said, just speaking of logistics, I have some questions about what the purpose is of closing South Ocean Boulevard when there's nothing out there but water. I have more concerns coming from the west side of Mar-a-Lago. The chief of police has obviously been working very closely with the Secret Service, and I think the plan may change. There may be an alternative down the line. But at the moment, it would be considered, in my mind, making an already bad traffic situation a thousand times worse."

Council member Bridget Moran said Thursday she understands the need to protect Trump while he is in town, but she expressed concern about potential traffic impacts the road closure could create.

"This will put pressure on our already over-burdened roads," she told the Daily News. "It is my hope that we explore any options to alleviate this burden and be understanding of the situation."

Town Manager Kirk Blouin said Palm Beach plans to explore those options beginning this week, telling the Daily News the town would be unable to shut down the road indefinitely "unless we're ordered to."

"If there's a protectee in residence, it makes sense," he said. "If there's no one there, I don't understand the road closure at this moment. I don't know the information that the government may have, or if it's a knee-jerk reaction. But for this weekend, it will be closed, and we're going to get more information next week. We're going to challenge the permanent road closure. And we'll try to work, obviously, with the federal government. We think anyone, regardless of political affiliation, should have the necessary protections to keep them safe. But we've got to have other options."

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Blouin said the town plans to request a letter from the Secret Service that supports its decision to close South Ocean Boulevard near Mar-a-Lago.

"Absent a protectee being in Mar-a-Lago, we're not willing to shut the road down," he said. "That's my opinion. The council may decide otherwise."

Council President Pro-Tem Lew Crampton, a South End resident, also said he was opposed to permanent road closures around Mar-a-Lago and would support efforts to discuss alternatives with the Secret Service.

"Road closures are understandable when (Trump) is in residence," he said. "We went through all of this when he was president, and we certainly can go through it again, no question. But it isolates the South End, because we have to cross a bridge and visit West Palm Beach before we can get to downtown."

"The safety and security of our protectees is the U.S. Secret Service’s top priority," a Secret Service spokesperson said in an emailed statement to the Daily News. "Out of concern for operational security, the Secret Service does not discuss the means and methods used for our protective operations."