A Federal Aviation Administration-licensed pilot (FAA) is suing the state of Florida, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) over the state’s recent bill approving the renaming of Palm Beach International Airport after President Donald Trump.
George W. Poncy Jr., an 83-year-old pilot and resident of Palm Beach County, filed a lawsuit in Palm Beach County Circuit Court on Apr. 12, 2026, arguing that the state’s passage of HB 919 was done without the approval of the county and without cooperation with the FAA.
According to The Miami New Times, the suit alleges that the legislation overrides the county’s local autonomy by enforcing the name change while also creating safety hazards for pilots.
"While FAA identifiers such as 'PBI' may remain unchanged, airport names are embedded in air traffic control communications, NOTAMs, navigation software, and international aviation databases," Poncy challenges.
"In aviation, even minor inconsistencies in airport identification can have safety implications, particularly in high-density or time-sensitive flight operations," the suit states.
“I don’t know anything that’s named after a criminal. There’s no Lucky Luciano Bridge or Jeffrey Epstein Highway. It’s insane. It is. It’s not much more complicated than that,” Poncy told The Miami New Times in a phone interview.
HB 919, co-sponsored by State Rep. Meg Weinberger and signed into law on Mar. 30, 2026, grants the state the authority to name major commercial service airports preemptively, according to the Florida Senate’s website.
The complaint also argues that HB 919 bypasses a Florida statute that "establishes standards and procedures" for designating public facilities after individuals, according to Scripps News Group.
"Palm Beach County has the right to name the airport. There's, it's not a state-owned facility," said Poncy.
"Changing an airport name is a local issue and the FAA does not approve airport name changes. However, the FAA must complete some administrative tasks to include updating navigational charts and databases,” an FAA spokesperson told WPTV West Palm Beach when asked for comment.
