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

MIAMI — City residents have filed a lawsuit to block Donald Trump from acquiring prime Florida real estate for his presidential library, claiming the land transfer violates the Constitution.

a lawsuit is being filed Under the Emoluments Clause, which prohibits the President from accepting gifts, payments, or other benefits from state, federal, or foreign entities beyond official salary. The prime land on the downtown waterfront where the skyscraper library is set to be built was originally deeded to the state by Miami Dade College. Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet later gifted it to Trump’s library foundation.

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

The lawsuit, filed by two Miami residents who live near the soon-to-be-built site and led by the Constitutional Accountability Center and Miami-based law firm Gelber Schachter & Greenberg, alleges that Trump he 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 it clear that President Trump intends to monetize this skyscraper and generate significant profits 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 living conditions in their neighborhood.” Another plaintiff is Dunn’s Overtown Farm, a nonprofit organization that wants to use the land for an urban farm, as well as a student of urban farming and nonprofit management.

This is the second lawsuit the library has faced. The first lawsuit, involving Marvin Dunn, owner of the nonprofit urban farm and professor emeritus at Florida International University, alleged that Miami Dade College violated open records laws by not giving the public enough time to weigh in on the land transfer. The college took another vote on the transfer and held a public hearing, then voted again, satisfying a circuit judge who was sitting on an interim basis. put the transfer on hold.

The new lawsuit also includes images of the presidential library published by Eric Trump. “Specifically, the ‘TRUMP’ wording at the top of the created skyscraper is identical to the Trump Organization’s logo and signs used at Trump hotel properties around 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 case, White House spokesman Davis Ingle praised Trump as “one of the most results-oriented and successful presidents in American history” and “a leader who fought tirelessly to serve the forgotten men and women of this country and to Make America Great Again.”

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