The New York Times reports:
Every year, New York City’s Department of Transportation collects tens of millions of dollars from property owners in return for permission to place street furniture on, over or under city sidewalks. This includes, but is not limited to, signs, filigreed lampposts, benches, bollards, planters, permanent trash receptacles, delivery ramps, underground vaults and just about anything else imaginable, including ornamental clocks.
Set smack on the sidewalk at 725 Fifth Avenue is just such a clock: 16 feet tall and made of aluminum with gold and black accents, it has four faces. Each bears the surname of its owner, Donald J. Trump. It was installed without permission more than a dozen years ago. No permit was applied for. No permission was granted. Belatedly, the City of New York would like to be paid for allowing the Trump Tower clock to occupy part of a public sidewalk.
Read the full article.
The city first began demanding payment in 2015 but the Trump Organization refused. When Trump became president “security concerns” at Trump Tower prompted the city to pause their plan to remove the clock.
Did You Know About the 16-Foot Trump Tower Clock? Neither Did the City. The Trump Organization audaciously installed a distinctive clock on Fifth Avenue without applying for a permit. City inspectors never noticed. Classic Trump tale by Sam Roberts https://t.co/SzfPewyJUq
— Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) August 27, 2023
“‘Let them prove we owe anything,’ thundered Michael Cohen, Mr. Trump’s lawyer at the time.”
https://t.co/elSXFjIyvS— Azi™️ (@Azi) August 27, 2023