Along with a “Trump bump” in Palm Beach, Fla., for multimillion-dollar real estate deals, there’s also a rise in potential crime, sources tell us.
One area insider told Page Six: “Local police in Palm Beach have been sending out hush-hush warnings to residents to keep their doors, windows, patios and cars locked — and [residents] have been told not to leave anything in their cars as there has been a series of robberies in the tony town, home to billionaires and mere millionaires,” including, of course, President-elect Donald Trump.
Indeed, an email warning seen by Page Six did go out this month from the Town of Palm Beach saying the police force is reminding residents not to keep valuables in their cars and to “lock and secure” vehicles and homes to “keep the Town safe from opportunistic criminals.”
Another insider pointed out that residents are used to leaving their doors unlocked.
The first source alleged, “All the attention on Palm Beach has apparently attracted” some criminals, and “rich residents are now on edge.”
So much so that “private security is being called in, even more so after the shooting of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare.”
The source said, “They are importing armed security from New York and California as Florida doesn’t have enough.”
But they added that the issues have been more in West Palm Beach than Palm Beach proper.
Security at Mar-a-Lago, however, is higher than ever. “To get to Trump’s club now takes 45 minutes because the Secret Service has closed two key bridges . . . There are three security check points,” said a source.
“They pop your hood, open your trunk, have bomb sniffing dogs and mirrors to look under your car.” Once on the premises, “there are metal detectors and a pat-down . . . It’s almost more security there than going to the White House.”
Reports have said that Trump’s protection at the club includes a robotic dog named Spot that the Secret Service use to patrol the perimeter.
CNN reported, “With no restrictions on who Mar-a-Lago club members can bring as guests, the chaotic scene presents a unique counterintelligence and security challenge.”
A rep for the Palm Beach police did not get back to us.
