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From the exasperated look on her face, it seems Nancy Pullum has something important to share. But her complaint is quickly drowned out by 50,000 pounds of ear-splitting engine thrust as a passenger jet buzzes her suburban backyard. For the past week, a mysterious new no-fly zone hastily imposed by the US Secret Service has been re-routing all air traffic away from President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Planes taking off from Palm Beach International Airport are instead flying directly over century-old homes in some of the Sunshine State's most desirable neighborhoods – rattling windows, spooking house buyers and fraying tempers. 'We have these jets grinding low and slow over us every moment of the day,' fumed Pullum, pointing skyward as another Boeing 737 roared into view above her pristine palm trees. 'People can't get their children to sleep. They are worried about their homes. Imagine trying to host a cocktail party where you can't hear someone speaking just a few feet away.' Residents living close to Mar-a-Lago have grown accustomed to chaotic road closures and rerouted flights when Trump is in Palm Beach. But the sweeping new diktat barring aircraft from operating within a one nautical-mile radius of the President's palatial winter residence will remain in force 24 hours a day for at least the next year – even when he's not home. Since October 20, all jets departing eastbound from PBI have been banking sharply to the north instead of flying straight out over the Atlantic, sparing Mar-a-Lago from noise while dumping it on everyone else. 'The first plane flew over us at 6am on the Monday and was powerful enough to shake me awake,' said Margi Yansura, 69, whose pretty Mediterranean-revival villa is on the National Register of Historic Places. 'I counted six or seven more over the next hour because it was impossible to get back to sleep. I was like, what the heck, the President isn't even here.' Yansura lives in Flamingo Park, one of several storied West Palm Beach neighborhoods including El Cid, Sunshine Park, and Grandview Heights that suddenly find themselves under a flight path. Residents charmed by the tranquil, shaded streets and celebrated 1920s architecture may consider selling up if the racket continues indefinitely, the retired public relations exec predicted. Several blocks away Connie and Jeff Adkins were contemplating the drastic step of ripping out their original windows for hurricane-proof replacements. Their awnings and vehicles were carpeted by a layer of black soot. It's an especially cruel development for Connie who is battling a form of cancer that has damaged her vocal cords and makes it difficult for her to speak. 'All of my family live out of state but when I try to talk to them on the phone it's impossible,' Connie, 70, told the Daily Mail. She's worried the noise will spoil an upcoming block party to celebrate the centenary of the Sunshine Park neighborhood. 'It's supposed to be a roaring '20s party. Instead, it's going to be a roaring engine party,' Connie sighed. Jet noise and air pollution has long been a contentious issue for those living around PBI – not least for the Commander-in-Chief. An entire block of homes in the former Hillcrest district was razed in the early 1990s so the airport, which handles around 200 flights daily, could expand. Since acquiring Mar-a-Largo for $10million in 1985, Trump has filed several lawsuits against Palm Beach County claiming planes were damaging the estate's foundations and ornate salmon facade. As recently as 2015 he demanded $100million in damages and an order halting air traffic altogether, accusing the county of subjecting his elite club and spa to 'an unreasonable amount of noise, emissions and pollutants.' The suit was dropped when Trump entered the White House for his first spell in office but nearly a decade later, he appears to have gotten exactly what he wanted. Pullum, an El Cid homeowner and chair of the Citizens Committee on Airport Noise, says the year-round no-fly zone was ushered in by the Secret Service without notice or consultation. 'We understand the need to protect the President but the surprise of this was jarring,' she said. 'Even the air traffic control people didn't know in advance.' 'It's not like Boston or New York; it's an entirely different lifestyle here. People live outside or by the pool and this is a big disruption.' Pullum wants to know why more departing planes can't turn south to swerve Mar-a-Lago instead of flying over historic residential neighborhoods where homes can fetch upwards of $10million. It's a good question but one nobody seems to want to answer. When Daily Mail reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration a spokesperson declined to answer questions and referred us instead to the Secret Service. Matt Fagiana, a spokesman for the Secret Service, said it did not comment on 'specific means, methods or resources' because of the 'need to maintain operational security'. It was a similar story for Democratic Congresswoman Lois Frankel who asked the Secret Service for a private briefing and was told it would have to wait until the Federal Government shutdown was over. The best guess of residents is that the no-fly zone has something to do with the discovery of a wooden 'hunting stand' during an October 16 security sweep at PBI. The ramshackle lookout was hidden in a tree 600 yards from where Trump typically deplanes Air Force One. The new restrictions – described as a 'temporary' Federal Security mandate – came into force four days later and will last until October 2026. Niels Heimeriks, Chief of Staff to Palm Beach County Commissioner Gregg Weiss, warned in a subsequent email: 'Neither local government nor the County Commission has authority to modify or override it.' A public meeting has been scheduled for next week for residents to air their concerns. Things could get heated, according to Linda Cullen, a realtor, Flamingo Park stalwart and founder of the not-for-profit West Palm Beach Preservation Foundation. 'We are expected to accept all this just because the Secret Service says so?' said Cullen, 79. 'People are all p****d because of the noise and p****d because they can't get a straight answer.' Mar-a-Lago sits on a narrow strip of Palm Beach between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean, roughly two and a half miles east of PBI's 10,001ft, east-west runway. When the President is in residence the no-fly zone widens to 10 nautical miles. Planes operating within 30 nautical miles are subject to restrictions. Across the water is Monceaux Park where lifelong West Palm Beach resident Rob Smith, 56, sits on his favorite bench most days to soak up the sun. He could only shake his head in disbelief this week as a parade of jet engines robbed his treasured retreat of its usual serenity. 'If they think someone is going to drop a bomb on Mar-a-Lago or fly a plane into it, should they not be telling us about that?' Smith told the Daily Mail. 'The planes used to fly over maybe two houses. Now it's probably closer to 100. All this disruption because of one jerk.' PBI spokeswoman Rebeca Krogman said the Secret Service introduced the 24/7 no-fly zone without consulting the airport. The new restrictions specifically order departing planes to bank north to avoid Mar-a-Lago instead of south. 'While we intend to propose strategies to reduce noise impacts that better align with our long-standing noise abatement procedures, neither the county nor the Department of Airports has the authority to modify the flight paths or determine runway use,' Krogman added.
