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Florida charity and Trump golf course make peace after fee flare-up

Aerial views of Trump International Golf and Country Club, (L), and Palm Beach County jail, (R), Wednesday, over West Palm Beach on April 25, 2012. (Photo: Bill Ingram/The Palm Beach Post/ZUMAPRESS.com)
Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., in 2012. (Photo: Bill Ingram/The Palm Beach Post/ZUMAPRESS.com)

A Florida charity for children complained this week that a Trump golf course is charging up to $20,000 for hosting a fundraiser — a fee that could cut its proceeds in half, according to a recent report.

The Palm Beach Post first reported that Mark Casale, vice president of philanthropy for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County, sent an email to County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay and Assistant County Administrator Todd Bonlarron about the unexpected fees.

“This ‘free’ event is costing us $20,000 between golf and catering fees,” Casale wrote to the county officials. “What we had hoped for as far as a ‘net’ income for this event has been cut in half (if we are lucky).”

The event is scheduled to take place at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Nov. 7 — the eve of Election Day.

According to the Post, the original lease agreement for the Trump golf course, which is on county land, requires the course to be available for charity tournaments from time to time.

But it appears that since the controversy broke, Trump’s luxury country club and the charity have worked out an agreement and buried the hatchet and are focusing on the event ahead.

“With regards to our upcoming event at Trump International, we are looking forward to a successful event,” Casale wrote in an email to Yahoo News on Wednesday.

Another representative for the local Boys and Girls Clubs emphasized to Yahoo News that the charity event is not affiliated with any political party.

“This is strictly a fundraising event with no political ties, and we have nothing else to comment on,” she said over the phone.

Neither Trump International Golf Club nor Bonlarron were immediately available for comment.

The golf club presents itself as exclusive and lavish, in complete alignment with the image that Trump, a real estate magnate, has built up around his many properties and investments over the past few decades. For many, the Trump name resonated as a stamp of approval for the ultimate in leisure and lifestyle.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump walks toward a press conference at the Trump International Golf Club as results rolled in on a day known as 'Super Saturday,' on March 5, 2016 in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Donald Trump before a press conference at Trump International Golf Club as Republican primary results rolled in on March 5. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

His recent foray into presidential politics, however, has left a trail of controversies and radical policy proposals that have alienated many consumers who have found Trump’s behavior and beliefs to be offensive.

Fortune magazine reported Tuesday on a recent Morning Consult national survey of 1,983 registered voters that suggests that Trump’s presidential campaign has taken its toll on his brand. Four in 10 survey respondents said they are less likely to purchase a product affiliated with the presidential candidate. Sixty-three percent of respondents said they would not be willing to play golf at one of his courses. Only 20 percent said they would.