Miami residents have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the transfer of nearly three acres of valuable waterfront property for President Donald Trump’s proposed presidential library, arguing the deal improperly benefits the president and violates the Constitution.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, names Trump and the state of Florida as defendants. It was brought by the Washington, D.C.-based Constitutional Accountability Center on behalf of a Miami Dade College student, a local nonprofit, and several Miami residents, according to The Guardian.
At issue is land previously owned by Miami Dade College near the city’s historic Freedom Tower. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis transferred the property to the federal government for use in the library project. The plaintiffs argue the transfer deprived the college and the public of a major downtown asset while creating a vehicle for Trump’s personal financial gain.
The complaint says the land “is no longer available to serve MDC’s student community and downtown Miami.” Plaintiffs contend the transaction violates the Constitution’s domestic emoluments clause, which bars a sitting president from receiving personal benefits or profits connected to his office.
According to the lawsuit, the project is expected to include not only a presidential library, museum, or center, but also a Trump-branded hotel. Plans revealed in March called for construction next to the Freedom Tower and included a 50-story building, a prominent golden statue of Trump, and a $400 million Boeing jumbo jet gifted to him by Qatar displayed in the lobby. Trump said at the time the building was “most likely going to be a hotel.”
The property is estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. In a statement, the Constitutional Accountability Center argued that Florida officials failed to prevent the land from being used for private benefit.
“Rather than prevent President Trump from using the gifted land for personal gain, Florida … required that the conveyed land include only ‘components of a Presidential library, museum, and/or center’, leaving the door open for the President to develop the property in any way he sees fit,” the group said.
The lawsuit follows an earlier challenge to the process used to approve the transfer. Critics alleged that Miami Dade College trustees, many of whom were appointed by DeSantis, voted in September to hand the land to the state without adequate public notice or discussion. The board later held a follow-up vote in December and approved the transfer unanimously.
The Trump Presidential Library Foundation and DeSantis’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
