The president's luxury club in Palm Beach, Florida has been largely in the news of late and for good reason. Apart from the large sums of money that the weekly trips that the president makes in order to stay in what he calls the "Southern White House," the lavish club is now making the news for health violations cited in January.
Health Violations
The report that is now in the spotlight is that of the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation, where the club was cited for over 10 health violations, some of which were categorized as high priority, a category reserved for citations that could pose a significant threat to public health.
Some of these violations were categorized as basic, such as the outdoor location of the ice maker, or the lack of a hand-washing sign in restrooms used by kitchen employees. However, it is the non-destruction of undercooked fish, and the improper storage of resources such as poultry and fish in less than ample temperatures that had the most urgent citations.
The report lists four basic violations, three intermediate violations, and three high priority violations. Basic violations are those that are considered the best practices to implement, while both intermediate and high priority are infractions that can contribute to foodborne illnesses and injury.
It is worth noting that the property did pass the inspection despite the hiccups, as the establishment immediately complied with the corrections, and some of the violations were immediately corrected on site, as the report states.
What's more, the inspection was done as a routine, and not due to a complaint.
Why Should The Violations Matter?
After all the reports done on the said violations, why should this conversation matter? For one thing, while high priority violations could sometimes be easily fixed, a lack of containment could lead to serious public health concerns.
Another important thing would be that the president has been welcoming world leaders into the private club since January. In fact, the report was done barely a few weeks before he welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the club, and once more with Chinese President Xi Jinping just last week.
If the trend continues, the lavish club is looking like the president's go-to location for entertaining world leaders, turning Mar-a-Lago into a relevant political location for his administration.
"One bad hamburger, and you can destroy McDonald's," Trump once mentioned in an interview during the campaign, keeping the mind of a businessman.
Perhaps as the president, he might have to employ the mind of a businessman in dealing with maintaining the food safety in Mar-a-Lago, especially with all the world leaders entertained in the property.
