A group of South Florida residents filed a lawsuit Wednesday to try to stop the state from handing over a coveted waterfront parcel in Miami to the foundation tasked with building a presidential library dedicated to President Donald Trump’s legacy.
The lawsuit accuses Trump, the foundation, top Florida officials, and Miami Dade College of violating the Domestic Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits states from granting financial benefits to a sitting president.
Governor Ron DeSantis and other state officials pushed through the donation of 2.63 acres (1.06 hectares) of state land in downtown Miami to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization created last year in Florida by Eric Trump, Trump’s son; his son-in-law, Michael Boulos; and James Kiley, an attorney who has represented the Trump Organization. The land, valued by a local appraiser at approximately US$63 million, formerly belonged to Miami Dade College until its board voted last year to transfer it to the state.
Since then, Eric Trump has announced plans for the site, including a massive tower emblazoned with the Trump name in large letters and a lobby featuring a 747 Air Force One. President Trump himself has suggested that the library would include a hotel or offices and would more closely resemble his other real estate projects than the museums built by his predecessors.
“I don’t believe in building libraries or museums,” Trump told reporters last year. He also stated that the site is on “the best block in Miami.”
In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs said these statements “make it clear that President Trump intends to profit financially from this skyscraper, generating significant gains for himself and his family.” The lawsuit also argues that the land is likely worth hundreds of millions of dollars, given other recent sales of nearby properties, and that it could double Miami Dade College’s endowment if sold on the open market.
“These funds could have been used to bolster the college’s research needs, offer more undergraduate programs, secure more world-class facilities and faculty, or reduce student expenses,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit was filed jointly Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida by the Constitutional Accountability Center, a liberal think tank in Washington, D.C., and the Florida law firm Gelber Schachter & Greenberg.
The plaintiffs include a Miami Dade College student; a nonprofit organization owned by local activist Marvin Dunn that had hoped to operate on the site; and two Miami residents who say Trump’s proposed skyscraper would block their view.
Florida officials’ efforts to quickly find a location in the Sunshine State for Trump’s post-presidential project began shortly after he returned to the White House.
A bill passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature and signed into law by DeSantis last year prohibited local governments from regulating presidential libraries, in anticipation of Trump building one in his adopted state.
Later that fall, the Miami Dade College board held a meeting to discuss “potential real estate transactions.” No further details about the transaction were included in the public notice, and the agenda indicated only that the board would discuss transferring ownership of the property to the state. A presidential library was not mentioned.
Shortly after the meeting, DeSantis announced that the cabinet would vote a week later to transfer the Miami Dade College land to the Trump Foundation. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier also posted a pre-recorded and edited video about the plans on social media.
Dunn, the local activist, sued to halt the transfer, accusing Miami Dade College of violating state open assembly laws. In November, a judge granted a temporary injunction to block the land transfer.
However, the judge lifted the injunction a month later after the Miami Dade College board held a second vote that included more details about the purpose of the land transfer and allowed for public comment.
The state officially transferred the land to the library foundation in January, according to local records.
