Miami Residents Sue Trump And Desantis Over Presidential Library Land Deal

A planned presidential library site for Donald Trump is facing a new legal challenge in Miami, where residents and a local nonprofit have sued the former president, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Miami Dade College, and members of the Florida Cabinet over the transfer of a prized waterfront parcel downtown.

The lawsuit centers on 2.63 acres beside Miami's historic Freedom Tower, a site the complaint says was moved from Miami Dade College to the state and then donated to Trump's presidential library foundation. According to the filing, the land is worth at least $67 million, though appraisers cited in the suit contend the bayfront property could command far more on the open market.

Filed by the Constitutional Accountability Center and the Miami law firm Gelber Schachter & Greenberg, the case argues that the transfer violates the Constitution's Domestic Emoluments Clause. That provision bars states from conferring financial benefits or gifts on a sitting president beyond an official salary.

The plaintiffs include two nearby residents, who say the proposed tower would affect neighborhood conditions and views, and Dunn's Overtown Farm, a nonprofit that had hoped to develop the land as an urban farm and educational site. The complaint also points to Trump's own remarks suggesting the project could include a hotel, reinforcing the argument that the development may function as a commercial venture as much as a presidential archive.

Renderings released earlier this year showed a glass tower bearing the Trump name, with a presidential jet in the lobby, rooftop gardens, a replica Oval Office, and a gold statue of Trump. In March, Trump told reporters,“This concept could be an office, but it's most likely going to be a hotel with a beautiful building underneath.”

The case is the second legal challenge tied to the project. An earlier lawsuit accused Miami Dade College of violating Florida open records laws during the transfer process, but that dispute ended after the college held another public hearing and approved the transfer again.

The White House has defended the project, with spokesperson Davis Ingle calling Trump“one of the most consequential and successful presidents in American history” and describing the future library as“one of the most magnificent buildings in the world.”

The Miami suit arrives as other Trump-linked building plans face scrutiny in Washington, where the administration is being sued over a costly redesign of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, and over the proposed $400 million White House ballroom. Together, the disputes underscore how closely Trump's public projects are now being watched for questions of money, power, and public land.

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