A group of Miami residents has filed a lawsuit challenging the donation of public land for Donald Trump’s future presidential library, arguing the transfer hands an unconstitutional financial benefit to a sitting president. The case, lodged on Wednesday, names Trump, Miami Dade College, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as defendants.
Donald Trump sued over Miami land donation
The dispute concerns a 2.63-acre parcel in downtown Miami owned by Miami-Dade College. Governor DeSantis authorized the transfer to Trump’s presidential library foundation last September. The property sits beside the Freedom Tower, a historic building on Biscayne Bay that once processed Cuban asylum seekers and now houses a museum run by the college.
Lawyers from the Constitutional Accountability Center and the Miami firm Gelber Schachter & Greenberg filed the case on behalf of four plaintiffs: a Miami-Dade College student, two residents near the site, and a local nonprofit that had sought to turn the land into an urban farm. Their central argument is that the land transfer violates the Domestic Emoluments Clause, which prohibits states from granting financial benefits to a sitting president.
The land is assessed at roughly $67 million, according to a 2025 appraisal by the Miami-Dade County property appraiser. Appraisers cited in the lawsuit say the true market value could exceed hundreds of millions.
Scrutiny of the Miami project increased in March when Donald Trump and his son, Eric, shared an AI-generated video showing plans for a tower on the site. The clip featured a presidential jet parked in the lobby, a gold escalator, a replica Oval Office, rooftop gardens, and a large gold statue of Trump. Shortly after, Trump told reporters the building would likely include commercial ventures. “This concept could be an office, but it’s most likely going to be a hotel with a beautiful building underneath,” he said.
The lawsuit seizes on that statement. The land “is no longer available to serve MDC’s student community and Downtown Miami,” the complaint reads via Independent. “Instead, the land will house a Trump hotel that brings riches to the President.” The White House has not yet responded.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu for Mandatory.
