Florida Regulatory Record: Hundreds of Health Code Violations at Trump Doral and Mar-a-Lago
Tier 3Ongoing2013-01-01 to 2019-12-31
Factual Summary
Florida state regulatory records document a sustained pattern of health code violations at two of Donald Trump's most prominent properties: Trump National Doral Miami and the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach. Between 2013 and 2019, the two properties accumulated hundreds of citations from Florida health inspectors.
At Trump National Doral Miami, Florida authorities documented 524 health code violations between 2013 and 2018. A 2015 inspection found "approximately 20 to 25 live roaches in the kitchen food prep area and behind a utensil table inside a wall crack." Additional inspections cited "live, small flying insects" and other food safety violations. Although Florida Department of Health regulations require all public pools to be inspected at least twice a year, state records showed no inspections for the 10 pools at Trump Doral over a 12-month period reviewed by reporters.
At Mar-a-Lago, health inspectors documented 78 violations over a three-year period. Citations included chefs handling food without washing their hands, dirty cutting boards, a slicer "soiled with old food debris," and an accumulation of "black/green mould-like substance" in the ice machine. In January 2017, inspectors found 15 infractions in a single visit, including unsafe seafood, insufficiently refrigerated meats, rusty shelving, and cooks without hairnets.
Mar-a-Lago's pools were shut down by order of state health inspectors at least five times over a 12-month period, with citations for improper pH levels, problems with chlorine disinfection feeders, and inadequate safety features including deficient handrails and ladders. Across Trump's Florida resort properties, pools were closed at least 10 times in a single year by state inspectors.
The resort was also cited for maintenance violations including broken staircases, improper food storage, and inadequate smoke detectors. Inspectors noted these conditions "could have posed a threat to public health, safety and welfare."
Primary Sources
1. Florida Department of Health inspection records for Trump National Doral Miami, 2013 through 2018
2. Florida Department of Health inspection records for Mar-a-Lago Club, Palm Beach, 2013 through 2019
3. Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation pool inspection records
Corroborating Sources
1. CBC News: "15 violations found by health inspectors at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort," April 2017
2. Quartz: "Pools at Trump resorts were shut by Florida health inspectors 10 times in a year," May 2019
3. Time: "Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Estate Cited for Poor Maintenance," January 2018
4. The Week: "Trump says his Doral club doesn't have bedbugs, doesn't mention the roaches and other health-code violations," August 2019
5. Gizmodo: "Damn, Donald, Back At It Again With the Gross Pools," May 2019
Counterarguments and Context
Health code violations are common across the restaurant and hospitality industry, and the volume of citations at Trump properties should be considered in the context of the size and complexity of the operations. Large resorts with multiple kitchens, dining venues, and pool facilities generate more inspection points and accordingly more potential citations than smaller establishments. The Trump Organization has stated that it takes food safety and guest welfare seriously and that violations are corrected promptly when identified. Many of the individual violations cited are categorized as minor or correctable infractions rather than imminent health hazards. No guest illnesses or injuries have been publicly attributed to the cited violations.
Author's Note
This entry is classified as Tier 3 because the violations are documented through official state inspection records and regulatory filings rather than through investigative journalism or allegations. The sheer volume of citations, 524 at Doral in five years and 78 at Mar-a-Lago in three years, reflects a sustained pattern. The entry is relevant not as evidence of fraud but as documentation of the operational standards maintained at properties that Trump has repeatedly cited as exemplars of luxury and excellence, including when he proposed hosting the G-7 summit at Doral in 2019.