Residents sue Trump

Miami residents sue Trump, claiming Florida land gift for library unconstitutional

The suit from city residents and a nearby nonprofit alleges the land transfer of prime downtown real estate is illegal.

By Kimberly Leonard

City residents have sued to stop Donald Trump from receiving prime Florida real estate for his presidential library, claiming the land transfer violates the Constitution.

The lawsuit is being brought under the Emoluments Clause, which bars the president from accepting gifts, payments or other benefits from state, federal or foreign entities beyond an official salary. The land where the skyscraper library is set to be built — in a prime waterfront location downtown — was first transferred by Miami Dade College to the state. Then Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet gifted it to Trump’s library foundation.

The lawsuit targets Trump, his library foundation, DeSantis and members of the Florida Cabinet, as well as Miami Dade College. The 2.63 acres of land in question is valued at around $67 million, though some real estate experts have said it could be worth as much as $300 million given its bayfront location across from the city’s Kaseya Center arena. It’s also next to the Freedom Tower, a historic immigrant processing center that once welcomed Cuban refugees.

The lawsuit, from two Miami residents who live near the soon-to-be-constructed site and led by the Constitutional Accountability Center and Miami-based law firm Gelber Schachter & Greenberg, points out that Trump has told reporters he thinks the land could also serve as a hotel “with a beautiful building underneath and a 747 Air Force One in the lobby.”

“These statements, individually and collectively, make clear that President Trump intends to monetize this skyscraper, generating significant profit for himself and his family,” the lawsuit states.

Two of the residents listed as plaintiffs say the high-rise building would “compromise” their views and “materially worsen the living conditions in their neighborhood.” Another plaintiff is Dunn’s Overtown Farm, a nonprofit that wants to use the land for an urban farm, as well as a student in urban farming and nonprofit management.

This is the second lawsuit the library has faced. The first — which also involved Marvin Dunn, the owner of the urban farm nonprofit and an emeritus Florida International University professor — alleged that Miami Dade College violated open records laws by failing to give the public enough time to weigh in on the land transfer. The college held another vote and public hearing about the transfer, then voted again, which satisfied a circuit judge who’d temporarily put the transfer on hold.

Renderings of the presidential library released by Eric Trump are included in the new lawsuit. “Notably, the ‘TRUMP’ lettering at the top of the rendered skyscraper is identical to The Trump Organization’s logo and the signage used on Trump hotel properties across the world, including the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago and the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas,” the lawsuit states.

The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Asked to comment on the lawsuit, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle praised Trump as “one of the most consequential and successful presidents in American history” and “a leader who has fought tirelessly to deliver for the forgotten men and women of this country and Make America Great Again.”

“The Trump Presidential Library will be one of the most magnificent buildings in the world,” he continued, “and a living testament to the indelible impact President Trump has made on America and its people.”