Page 142 - Trump Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges into Success

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A TT ACKED FOR T R YING TO C HANGE A NYTHING

anathema to me. I went to Palm Beach with that idea in mind
because it was a logical solution to the problem, and I met with
the town attorney and the town building inspector. I thought I
was entitled to 14 lots, but they suggested I ask for 8, because
then the zoning would go through quickly. However, the town
rejected my proposal, even though it was a routine proposal,
nothing extraordinary or outlandish, and less than what I was
entitled to ask for. But I was amiable and went along with what-
ever they were demanding. I was wondering how long they
would continue to try to bamboozle me.
Here’s where it’s important to stop and think for moment. If
you remember, I had hoped to turn Mar-a-Lago into a club in
the first place, but I had doubts, big doubts, that it could ever
get rezoned as a club. Instead, look what happened: I had been
denied my legal right by not being allowed to subdivide the
land—I was entitled by law to 14 subdivision lots. I knew this
and they knew it, and it was totally unfair. I actually think they
were very embarrassed by their hard-nosed stance against me,
but it worked to my favor. They might also have known I could
take them to court.
You may be right if you’re thinking, is anything ever easy
for this guy, even if his name is Donald Trump? Doesn’t seem
so, does it. However, I was determined to set this straight.
As a result of the treatment I got from the city of Palm
Beach, my team and I went over everything we had done in the
past year and a half and made sure we had complied precisely
with every demand. Then we reviewed the actions of the
Landmarks Preservation Commission as well as the town
council, and we decided to file a $100 million lawsuit. My civil
rights had been denied, and we all knew it. I saw a way that
this could work to my advantage. That’s a good thing to
remember when things seem unfair or unjust in your life.
That’s where keeping cool, being patient, and using your head
comes in very handy.

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