A Florida judge ruled on Tuesday to temporarily block the transfer of land in downtown Miami to be used for President Donald Trump’s future presidential library.
The decision stems from a lawsuit filed last week by a Miami historian and racial activist who took issue with the Miami Dade College Board of Trustees’ Sept. 23 vote to hand over 2.63 acres of land worth more than $67 million to Florida. Marvin Dunn, the plaintiff, alleges the board didn’t provide sufficient notice for its meeting on the land transfer, arguing that the lack of public notice is in violation of state law.
Judicial Circuit Judge Mavel Ruiz agreed with Dunn’s claim, determined he is likely to win the case, and ruled that the public college can’t cede the land in the meantime.
“The court does not believe that the notice was reasonable,” she said after a Tuesday court hearing, adding that the case is not “rooted in politics.”
Dunn’s attorney argued the case was rather about the board’s alleged noncompliance with Florida’s Government in the Sunshine Act, which requires meetings and records to be open to the public to ensure transparency.
“The people have a right to know what they’re going to decide to do when the transaction is so significant, so unusual, and deprives the students and the college of this land,” the plaintiff’s lawyer said.
The college board issued a public notice before the Sept. 23 meeting, stating that the purpose was to “discuss potential real estate transactions.” However, the notice did not specify which property would be discussed or disclose the purpose of the transaction.
The meeting also wasn’t livestreamed, unlike previous meetings this year.
One week after the board meeting, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and his Cabinet voted to transfer the land to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation. DeSantis announced plans for Trump’s presidential library on the same day as the board voted to give up the land to the state.
An attorney for the college maintained the Board of Trustees complied with state law and questioned Dunn’s political motivations in filing the case, considering it is related to Trump.
TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY PLANS IN MIAMI HIT WITH LAWSUIT OVER TRANSPARENCY CONCERNS
Tuesday’s preliminary injunction comes one day after Ruiz declined to immediately bar Miami Dade College from deeding the land. She was concerned that Dunn had not yet established the right to sue by demonstrating his citizenship in Florida. On Monday, Dunn’s legal team said their client’s paperwork had not been fully processed due to office closures on Columbus Day.
There is no set time frame for the presidential library’s construction or opening, but a more concrete plan is expected to be finalized in the next four years. The National Archives and Records Administration will launch a website dedicated to the presidential library on Jan. 20, 2029, when Trump’s second term will end.
