A landmark project…
Florida’s top elected officials, including Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Cabinet, voted Tuesday to approve the transfer of 2.63 acres of high-value land in downtown Miami to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library.
Worth over $66 million, the prime state-owned lot sits beside Miami’s iconic Freedom Tower and directly across from the Miami Heat’s arena. It is currently used as a parking lot for Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus.
The new library will be affiliated with Miami Dade College.
DeSantis and other state leaders framed the move as one that would serve the public interest and spur economic development in the area.
Anticipating resistance at the local level, DeSantis previously signed legislation barring local governments from obstructing presidential library projects in Florida.
While the land is being donated, the Trump Foundation will likely face certain conditions — possibly including deadlines for construction — and will still be subject to zoning and permitting requirements.
Politico continues:
Eric Trump, the president’s son, promised on X that it would be the “greatest presidential library ever built” and said that “consistent with our families DNA, this will be one of the most beautiful buildings ever built — an icon on the Miami skyline.” Eric Trump also ridiculed the library being built for former President Barack Obama.
In his post, the president’s son lauded both DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier as “incredible partners in this endeavor.”
“President Trump has a great story to tell,” Uthmeier said. “As Miami becomes capital of the world in many respects, I think it will be a great location.”
That echoes the sentiment of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who said placing the library in Miami would “cement Miami’s role as a gateway for ideas, culture and leadership that shape the future” and allow Miami to take “its rightful place as a truly great global city.”
The Trump Presidential Library Foundation has secured substantial pledged funding through recent legal settlements involving Meta and ABC News.
Meta, in a $25 million deal over Trump’s suspension from Facebook and Instagram, will send $22 million straight to the library foundation (the rest goes to legal fees). And Disney-owned ABC News, facing a defamation fight, agreed to chip in $15 million to a nonprofit tied to the project.
