{"id":443,"date":"2026-05-13T19:31:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T19:31:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=443"},"modified":"2026-05-13T19:31:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T19:31:41","slug":"florida-gave-trump-an-illegal-gift-in-presidential-library-deal-new-lawsuit-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=443","title":{"rendered":"Florida gave Trump an illegal gift in presidential library deal, new lawsuit says"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The state of Florida illegally attempted to curry special favor from the president by gifting downtown Miami land for Donald Trump\u2019s planned presidential center and skyscraper, according to a new lawsuit filed in federal court Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=441\">Pair arrested after 130 mph+ Turnpike chase with troopers in Miami-Dade: FHP<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The complaint accuses Trump, his nonprofit presidential library foundation, Miami Dade College and its trustees, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the other statewide officials of violating the Domestic Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which bars sitting presidents from accepting financial benefits from individual states.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a result of Defendants\u2019 conduct, other states have been forced into an arms race in which they must either compete with Florida to lavish gifts on the President or fear being unfairly disadvantaged \u2014 the precise scenario that the Domestic Emoluments Clause was adopted to prevent,\u201d the .<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>At the state\u2019s request last fall, Miami Dade College transferred to a state board property that developers say is worth far more than the $67 million valuation by the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser\u2019s office. That state board, run by the governor and the Florida Cabinet, then gave the land to Trump\u2019s foundation.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The only restriction on that deed transfer is that there are \u201ccomponents\u201d of a presidential library or museum constructed within the next five years. Trump has indicated he plans to build a commercial hotel on site, too. The lawsuit is asking a federal judge to declare \u201cnull and void the land transaction that resulted in the Domestic Emoluments Clause violation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Defendants in the case did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Miami Herald.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit represents the second legal case against Trump\u2019s controversial, planned legacy project adjacent to the Freedom Tower on Biscayne Blvd \u2014 and one of the few hurdles for a project Florida lawmakers tried to ensure would sail through to development. The state passed a law last year preempting local governments from enacting or enforcing rules against presidential libraries.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>But the new federal lawsuit could also face an uphill battle to succeed: There is very little legal precedent for emolument cases. An \u201cemolument\u201d refers to financial compensation or profit, usually for someone in public office. Congressional Democrats accused Trump of accepting foreign emoluments during his first term, but that case was eventually dismissed after a judge ruled the members of Congress were not eligible to bring such a case.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<h2>Another legal fight<\/h2>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In this case, four plaintiffs \u2014 two residents who live near the planned development, a Miami Dade College student and a nonprofit run by historian and activist Marvin Dunn \u2014 are bringing the lawsuit. They say they would be harmed by the project.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Dunn led the state-level lawsuit accusing Miami Dade College of violating Florida\u2019s public transparency laws in approving the deal last year, too. Miami Dade College\u2019s Board of Trustees took a new, publicly noticed in December on the land transfer, again unanimously approving a deal that included no benefits or concessions for the college, effectively ending that case.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Dunn vowed to sue again. This time, he has the help of former state senator and prosecutor Dan Gelber\u2019s law firm and the D.C.-based Constitutional Accountability Center representing the plaintiffs.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=440\">State planning to wind down and close Alligator Alcatraz in coming weeks<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Miami Dade College and its trustees are now again parties to a lawsuit over the land transfer. The new lawsuit lays out the ways the college could have benefited from selling the land in a commercial deal instead.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe land could have commanded a sales price that would have doubled MDC\u2019s $227 million endowment overnight \u2014 enabling MDC to advance the college\u2019s research needs, secure more world-class facilities and faculty, and reduce student expenses,\u201d plaintiffs argue.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The college\u2019s Board of Trustees has argued that a presidential library adjacent to its campus will be a boon for the school and bolster opportunities for students, even though there are no specific benefits for the college laid out in the deal. The college did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Florida is now positioned to receive special treatment from the president in exchange for the land gift in a variety of ways, the lawsuit says, including by getting exemptions from offshore drilling, receiving extra federal disaster aid or by being selected as the next location for NASA\u2019s headquarters.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe State Defendants have therefore given a valuable gift of land \u2014 indeed, land for a Trump hotel with waterfront views that itself will benefit from coastal tourism \u2014 to someone with the authority to protect Florida\u2019s tourism industry,\u201d according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The attorneys also argue that Trump\u2019s foundation and family has already \u201cbeen personally enriched by the State of Florida\u2019s gift\u201d because it hasn\u2019t had to pay property taxes for the land it was gifted last year.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>There are Miami-Dade County property tax records attached to the complaint filed Wednesday showing that the property remained eligible for an educational property tax exemption in 2025, as it had in past years when the land was owned by the college.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile the Trump Library Foundation is planning and executing the development of its for-profit hotel, it has been made exempt from the considerable property taxes it would otherwise have to pay,\u201d the attorneys argue.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn sum, Florida\u2019s gift of the immensely valuable MDC Parcel for lucrative private economic development benefiting the President and his close family members is an unlawful \u2018emolument,\u2019\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=439\">As hurricane season comes, some South Florida homeowners go without insurance<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A federal lawsuit alleges Florida illegally gifted downtown Miami land for Donald Trump\u2019s presidential center and hotel, violating the Domestic Emoluments Clause.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-florida-politics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - 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