America is, famously and proudly, a republic. Everyone is equal before the law. No earls or dukes or even knights of the realm. And a good thing, too.
Er… not so fast. As one of the magazines devoted to Palm Beach life recently pointed out, there is one honor available to citizens of the United States that is much coveted because, as with princes, dukes and earls, the honorific comes before the recipient’s full name – and, like nobility (but not in Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s case), it is conferred for life. That title is “ambassador.”
While Palm Beach residents agonize over the status of dogs, they are losing their love for cats
Most presidents make so-called “political appointments,” usually good friends who have been supportive, either financially or intellectually, of either the president himself or of his party. Donald Trump is no exception, meaning that Palm Beach life, is, as one observer put it, “lousy with ambassadors.”
These include billionaire businessman John Arrigo, the United States ambassador to Portugal; investment banker Warren Stephens, ambassador to the Court of St. James’s in London; Kimberly Guilfoyle, former prosecutor and Don Jr.’s ex, ambassador to Greece. Then there’s Charles Kushner who, by way of his son and daughter-in-law, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, is the new ambassador to France; and Somers Farkas, society figure and wife of department store heir Jonathan, who is ambassador to the Republic of Malta.
The title of ambassador is clearly something sought after, coming as it does before one’s name and lasting for life – unlike “The Honorable,” which can be used for judges, or government officials, but applies only while those individuals are in office, not for life. Cynics, of whom we have no shortage in Palm Beach, dismiss some of the appointments to smaller countries (Barbados, Malta, Denmark, Iceland) as mere flim-flam, or “payback.” Said one former but unnamed ambassador in Palmer magazine, “Smart people are appointed to important countries, but some are so weak, uninformed, and unworthy, they’re laughable.” He did not name any names or indicate what important or unimportant countries he was referring to, but added: “It all comes down to having the money to buy influence… influence runs through the veins of Palm Beach.” He did concede at first: “It’s not entirely about the money.” Then, after a pause, he added: “But it’s about the money.”
But everyday life here is certainly not only about the money. News-wise recently, it has been raining cats and dogs.
Dogs first. An issue has arisen over when pets are not pets. It is not unusual for condos and cooperatives to have “pet-free” rules, which is an attraction for many. But Palm Beach, which is always ready to talk about how rich its inhabitants are, is less ready to talk about how old substantial numbers of those inhabitants are, and how common it is to be widowed and live alone. Many of them now claim dogs and cats as “emotional support” creatures, not pets. As a result, many “pet-free” condos and cooperatives are actually crawling with cats and dogs, making life even more fraught and divisive than it already is for older residents.
The number of feral cats took a huge leap last year, according to the 2025 annual report of Palm Beach Island Cats, an organization that monitors the population of such animals. According to an address given to the town council by David Leavitt, the organization’s president, the island’s feral cat population rose by more than 60 percent last year, from 372 in 2024 to 604. At the same time, the number of feeding stations dropped from 67 in 2024 to 48 in 2025.
Some 600 feral cats on a small island is extraordinary – but remember, “feral” doesn’t just mean “wild.” The number includes those that have turned wild having been formerly in captivity or domesticated. In other words, it does not put the residents of Palm Beach in a good light: while they agonize over the status of dogs, either as pets or emotional support creatures, it would appear they are losing their love for cats – either not looking for them after they go missing or not caring for them properly in the first place. We have no population of feral dogs, as far as I am aware.
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