South Florida pilot files lawsuit challenging renaming of Palm Beach International

Angie DiMichele, South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Apr 16, 2026

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A Palm Beach County pilot has filed a lawsuit challenging the renaming of Palm Beach International Airport to President Donald J. Trump International Airport.

George W. Poncy Jr., of Palm Beach Gardens, has been a Federal Aviation Administration licensed private pilot for nearly two decades, the agency’s records show. He regularly flies in South Florida’s airspace and transits airspace controlled by the Palm Beach County airport, according to the lawsuit complaint.

Poncy’s lawsuit, filed last week and in which he is representing himself, names the state of Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Transportation as defendants. He alleges that the bill approved by the governor last month to rename the county-owned-and-operated airport, HB 919, could lead to safety risks and communication issues for pilots and air traffic controllers, raises uncertainties pertaining to licensing and trademark rights, and is an overreach of power on local government.

Poncy alleges the legislation will impose a period where the airport’s name differs from federally coordinated aviation systems, “introducing operational ambiguity and increasing the risk of miscommunication in active flight operations.” The complaint said Poncy will face “unrecoverable costs” in updating aviation software, navigational databases and flight planning systems affected by the change.

On Thursday, Poncy filed a motion asking that PBI’s name be maintained while the legal matter is pending.

The bill’s effective date is July 1.

“Once implementation begins, it will trigger irreversible changes across aviation systems, airport operations, contractual obligations, and emergency-response infrastructure that cannot be undone by a later favorable ruling,” Poncy wrote in the emergency motion filed Thursday.

Poncy could not be reached for comment on Thursday.

Pending “all required approvals,” including by the FAA, only the airport’s name will be affected and its code will remain as PBI, though separate federal legislation has been introduced to change the code, airport officials said in a statement last month.

U.S. Rep. Brian Mast introduced a bill to change the airport’s code to DJT.

Changes to the airport’s signs, branding and public-facing materials will be made in phases, the airport’s statement said, and operations will not be interrupted.

“A state appropriation to support these efforts may be provided, but it remains pending,” the statement said.

The change could cost an estimated $5.5 million.

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