Summary
A lawsuit filed Wednesday by Miami residents and other plaintiffs challenges Florida’s decision to donate a downtown Miami parcel to the Trump presidential library foundation, arguing the arrangement violates a U.S. constitutional limit on states giving financial benefits to a sitting president.
The complaint names President Donald Trump, the presidential library foundation, and Florida officials, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, as defendants. It focuses on a land transfer that DeSantis moved forward last September: a 2.63-acre (1.06-hectare) parcel to the Trump presidential library foundation, which plaintiffs say is intended to support an expansive presidential library complex that could also include a hotel.
The plaintiffs’ central legal argument relies on the Domestic Emoluments Clause, which they say prohibits states from conferring a financial benefit on a sitting president. The complaint also points to statements and materials associated with the planned library, including a March artificial intelligence video that depicts proposed features of the site, including a tall tower, public-facing interiors, and other elements presented in the concept visuals.
In addition, the lawsuit cites Trump’s own remarks to reporters in March about the business possibility for the project. Trump said the concept “could be an office, but it’s most likely going to be a hotel with a beautiful building underneath,” according to the AP report describing the lawsuit’s allegations.
The complaint argues the donated land is “no longer available to serve MDC’s student community and Downtown Miami,” and instead would “house a Trump hotel that brings riches to the President,” AP reported. The plaintiffs also include a Miami Dade College student, two people who live near the parcel, and a local nonprofit that had hoped to use the property for an urban farm, according to the lawsuit summary provided in the AP story.
The property involved is owned by Miami Dade College and sits next to the Freedom Tower, a landmark building in downtown Miami. Miami Dade College operates the site as a museum, and the AP report said the college described the parcel’s earlier history as a former resource center for Cubans seeking asylum in the United States.
The AP report said a 2025 assessment by the Miami-Dade County property appraiser valued the site at roughly $67 million. The lawsuit also points to other real estate experts cited by the plaintiffs who, according to the report, believe the parcel could sell for hundreds of millions of dollars more.
The White House did not respond to an emailed request for comment on Wednesday night, according to the AP report. The court filing was filed by lawyers with the Constitutional Accountability Center in Washington, D.C., and the Miami-based law firm Gelber Schachter & Greenberg.