Summary
Miami residents sued President Donald Trump, Miami Dade College and Florida officials on Wednesday, saying a decision by state leaders to donate prominent downtown Miami land for a Trump presidential library — which plaintiffs say could include a hotel — violates the U.S. Constitution. The complaint argues that the Domestic Emoluments Clause prohibits states from giving a financial benefit to a sitting president.
The lawsuit targets Trump, his presidential library foundation and Florida officials, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to the filing described by the plaintiffs’ attorneys. Plaintiffs brought the case on behalf of a student at Miami Dade College, two people who live near the parcel, and a local nonprofit that had hoped to use the property as the site of an urban farm.
According to the complaint, DeSantis moved last September to transfer a 2.63-acre (1.06-hectare) parcel to Trump’s presidential library foundation. Since then, the president and his son Eric Trump have publicly discussed plans for a major development, including a skyscraper intended to house the library and other features.
The lawsuit points to a promotional artificial intelligence video released in March showing an exterior and interior for what supporters describe as the future tower. In the video, plaintiffs said, the concept includes details such as a presidential jet in a lobby, and a gold escalator like the one Trump rode when launching his presidential campaign in 2015, along with other interior and exterior scenes such as a large ballroom, a replica Oval Office, rooftop gardens and a large, gold statue of Trump.
Trump also suggested in March that for-profit activity could be part of the project, saying the concept “could be an office” but that it was “most likely going to be a hotel with a beautiful building underneath,” according to the complaint’s description of his remarks to reporters. The filing argues that the donated land is “no longer available to serve MDC’s student community and Downtown Miami,” instead to house a Trump hotel that “brings riches to the President.”
The parcel at issue is owned by Miami Dade College and lies next to the Freedom Tower, with nearby development that includes condos facing Biscayne Bay, according to Miami Dade College’s description of the site. The Spanish Revival skyscraper once housed one of the city’s first newspapers and later served as a resource center for hundreds of thousands of Cubans seeking asylum, and the college now operates it as a museum, the complaint said.
The property is valued at about $67 million based on a 2025 assessment by the Miami-Dade County property appraiser, the complaint said. The filing also cited other appraisers who, according to the allegations, believed the parcel could sell for hundreds of millions of dollars more.
The White House did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on Wednesday night, according to the reporting. Plaintiffs asked the court to halt what they described as an unconstitutional transfer and the potential use of the publicly owned land for a Trump hotel tied to a sitting president.