A group of Miami residents and a local nonprofit have sued President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Miami Dade College, and members of the Florida Cabinet over plans for Trump’s future presidential library, arguing that the transfer of a prime stretch of downtown waterfront land violates the U.S. Constitution.
According to the Associated Press, the lawsuit centers on a 2.63-acre parcel next to Miami’s historic Freedom Tower that was transferred from Miami Dade College to the state before being donated to Trump’s presidential library foundation by DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet last year. According to the complaint, the land is worth at least $67 million, though some appraisers cited in the suit argue the bayfront site could fetch hundreds of millions more on the open market.
Filed by the Constitutional Accountability Center and Miami law firm Gelber Schachter & Greenberg, the suit argues that the transfer violates the Constitution’s Domestic Emoluments Clause, which bars states from providing financial benefits or gifts to a sitting president beyond an official salary.
The legal challenge also takes aim at the project itself, which Trump and his son Eric Trump have described in increasingly extravagant terms. Renderings released earlier this year show a towering glass skyscraper emblazoned with the Trump name, complete with a presidential jet displayed in the lobby, rooftop gardens, a replica Oval Office, and a gold statue of Trump. The lawsuit points to Trump’s own comments suggesting the development could include a hotel, arguing the site is poised to become a commercial venture as much as a presidential archive. “This concept could be an office, but it’s most likely going to be a hotel with a beautiful building underneath,” Trump told reporters in March.
Plaintiffs include two nearby residents who say the proposed tower would damage views and worsen neighborhood conditions, as well as Dunn’s Overtown Farm, a nonprofit that had hoped to turn the land into an urban farm and educational site.
The lawsuit marks the second legal challenge tied to the project. Earlier litigation accused Miami Dade College of violating Florida open records laws during the land transfer process. That suit was resolved after the college held another public hearing and approved the transfer again.
In a statement to Politico, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle defended the project, 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 lawsuit arrives as several other Trump-linked building projects and renovations have come under scrutiny in recent weeks. In Washington, the Trump administration is facing a separate lawsuit over its controversial plan to coat the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in what Trump described as “American Flag Blue,” a renovation that ballooned from an estimated $2 million project to more than $13 million and drew criticism from preservationists. Meanwhile, Trump’s proposed $400 million White House ballroom has become the subject of multiple legal and political fights, including questions over anonymous donors, conflict-of-interest protections, and whether the administration can move forward with construction without explicit congressional approval.
