A handful of South Florida residents filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to block the state from handing over a prime piece of Miami’s waterfront to the foundation tasked with building a legacy library for President Donald Trump.
The lawsuit accuses Trump, the foundation, top Florida officials and Miami Dade College of violating the Domestic Emoluments Clause in the US Constitution, which prohibits states from giving a financial benefit to a sitting president.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials moved last September to donate 2.63 acres of state-owned land in downtown Miami to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit formed last year in Florida by Trump’s son Eric Trump; his son-in-law Michael Boulos; and James Kiley, a lawyer who has represented the Trump Organization. The land, valued by the local property appraiser at about $63 million, previously belonged to Miami Dade College until the board voted last year to turn it over to the state.
Eric Trump has since announced plans for the site that include a massive tower emblazoned with the Trump name and a lobby that features a 747 Air Force One. President Trump himself has suggested the library would feature a hotel or offices and more closely mirror his other real estate endeavors than the museums built by his predecessors.
