A group of Miami residents filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday seeking to block a Florida-approved transfer of a nearly 3-acre waterfront plot in downtown Miami to President Donald Trump’s planned presidential library, naming Gov. Ron DeSantis, Miami Dade College, and members of the Florida Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund among the defendants.
The 57-page lawsuit alleges that the land transfer, valued at more than $67 million, violates the U.S. Constitution’s Domestic Emoluments Clause, which prohibits a sitting president from accepting financial gifts or benefits from individual states beyond their fixed federal salary.
“The Domestic Emoluments Clause was adopted to ensure the President’s undivided loyalty to the interests of the American nation as a whole by preventing individual states from giving the President gifts and other benefits with the hopes of obtaining favorable treatment in return,” the lawsuit states, according to NBC News.
The lawsuit was filed by two downtown Miami residents, a Miami Dade College student, and the co-founder of a Florida nonprofit organization.
The Land Transfer
The disputed property is a nearly 3-acre parking lot adjacent to the Freedom Tower in downtown Miami, a landmark with significant historical importance to Cuban refugees who arrived in Florida after fleeing the 1959 Cuban revolution.
Trump did not have to purchase the land. According to the lawsuit, the property was transferred from Miami Dade College to the State of Florida and then designated for Trump’s library after a deal was reached between Trump’s library foundation and state officials.
The land transfer was previously blocked by a federal court but allowed to proceed after a judge dismissed an earlier legal challenge in December.
In March 2026, Trump posted a video on Truth Social previewing his vision for the library as a glass skyscraper with his last name in gold lettering across the facade. The video showed an American flag down the center of the building and a presidential plane displayed on the first floor.
According to the lawsuit, Trump has indicated he plans to develop the property beyond a library, including a hotel component. The plaintiffs cite Trump’s comments to reporters at the White House in March, in which he said, “I don’t believe in building libraries or museums.”
“These statements, individually and collectively, make clear that President Trump intends to monetize this skyscraper, generating significant profit for himself and his family,” the lawsuit states, according to NBC News.
If the hotel proposal proceeds, the Trump library would be the first U.S. presidential library to include a hotel.
The Constitutional Argument
The Domestic Emoluments Clause, contained in Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution, states that the president shall receive “a Compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.”
The lawsuit argues that the no-cost transfer of valuable Florida state land to a president-aligned entity is precisely the kind of state-level gift the clause was designed to prevent.
“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, the precise scenario that the Domestic Emoluments Clause was adopted to prevent,” the lawsuit states.
The plaintiffs allege the transfer could result in preferential treatment for Florida from the federal government on issues including offshore drilling, disaster relief funding, and the impact of federal tariffs on Florida exports.
The White House Response
The White House defended the library in a written statement provided to NBC News. The statement did not directly address the Emoluments Clause arguments in the lawsuit.
“President Trump is one of the most consequential and successful presidents in American history, a leader who has fought tirelessly to deliver for the forgotten men and women of this country and Make America Great Again,” said Davis Ingle, a White House spokesperson. “The Trump Presidential Library will be one of the most magnificent buildings in the world and a living testament to the indelible impact President Trump has made on America and its people.”
Trump’s library foundation, Gov. DeSantis, state officials, and representatives for Miami Dade College had not immediately responded to requests for comment as of Wednesday evening, according to NBC News.
Defendants Named
The lawsuit names as defendants:
- President Donald Trump
- Trump’s library fund
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
- Miami Dade College and its Board of Trustees
- Members of the Florida Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund
Context
Trump is currently facing other legal challenges over proposed construction at federal landmarks in Washington, including a planned $1 billion White House ballroom expansion, renovations to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and a paint project on the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. Each has drawn separate legal scrutiny.
For Florida residents, the lawsuit raises questions about how state-owned property is transferred to private or federal entities, and what constitutional limits, if any, apply when the recipient is the sitting president.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. No hearings have been scheduled as of publication.
