Wantagh Superintendent Seeking Tax Revenue from Trump Project

With real estate mogul Donald Trump’s restaurant/catering facility for   by state officials last month, the Wantagh School District is trying to determine if they can receive tax revenue from the project.  

The 38,560 square foot project called Trump on the Ocean is slated to be built at the former site of the Boardwalk Café, which closed in 2003. The property at Jones Beach is owned and operated by the state and is exempt from paying taxes to the Wantagh School District. However,  Philip D'Angelo is leading an effort to see if a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement can be obtained for the district.

D'Angelo and the Wantagh school board are sending letters this week to Governor Andrew Cuomo and Rose Harvey, commissioner for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation requesting PILOT funds from the Trump project. 

"We'd like to increase our revenue stream," said D'Angelo on why he is pushing for the PILOT funding from the planned catering facility. 

D'Angelo said he has communicated with State Sen. Charles Fuschillo, R-Merrick about trying to obtain PILOT money from Trump on the Ocean and is hoping the Albany lawmaker can rally support in the state legislature for the funding. 

[Senator Fuschillo] has been a good friends to the district and I'm sure he'll do whatever he can to help us.," D'Angelo said. 

New York State Parks spokesman Dan Keefe said that PILOTs on state property can only be authorized by legislation from Albany. Officials for the Trump Organization could not be reached for comment. 

The deal struck between Trump and the state last month following a four-year legal battle calls for a new 40-year lease for construction and operation of the facility. Trump will make a yearly base rent payment of $200,000 to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation adjusted for the Consumer Price Index, which will total around $13 million by the end of the lease.

Do you think the Wantagh School District should receive some tax revenue from the Trump on the Ocean project? Tell us in the comments. 

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