A Florida judge blocked Miami Dade College from transferring a parcel of its land to the Sunshine State for Donald Trump’s presidential library.
The federal government requested that the 2.6 acres of land, owned by the public college, be transferred to the state, which would then hand it over to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, according to court filings. The parcel, which is now a parking lot, is estimated to be worth at least $67 million.
The Florida judge temporarily blocked the transfer on Tuesday. “This is not an easy decision,” the judge said, according to the Associated Press. “This is not a case, at least for this court, rooted in politics.”
The matter stemmed from Marvin Dunn, a political activist and local historian, who sued the college and its board of trustees last week.
Last month, the Miami Dade College’s District Board of Trustees voted to give away the land “for nothing” to the state of Florida, which then would give it to the Trump library foundation, the complaint states.
Dunn argued that he’s not taking a political stance, but instead noting a violation of Florida’s Sunshine Law, which requires that public boards provide “reasonable notice” ahead of meetings. The meeting was also not livestreamed, departing from the board’s usual practice, the AP reported.
“This action does not have to do with whether the District Board of Trustees made a wise decision. It is not brought to lodge a political protest. Rather, it deals with the fact that, in making its decision, the District Board of Trustees unquestionably violated Florida’s sacrosanct Government in the Sunshine Act,” the complaint states.
On September 16, the college only described the agenda for the September 23 meeting as where “the District Board of Trustees will discuss potential real estate transactions.” The board unanimously voted to convey the land.
Dunn’s attorney called the description “inadequate,” adding: “The proposed giveaway cannot even charitably be characterized as a ‘transaction.’”
Lawyers for the college argued that the board fully complied with the Sunshine Law. The school on September 16 “received a request from the Executive Office of the Governor of the State of Florida to transfer a parcel of land” to the state and then posted a notice of the meeting to be held the following week, they wrote.
The land has been vacant for years and the college had “no immediate plan” to use the space beyond its current use as a parking lot, the lawyers argued.
Before the hearing Tuesday, Dunn’s lawyer Richard Brodsky emphasized the “significance” of the exchange, telling the AP: “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.”
However, an attorney for the school argued in court: “There is no requirement under Florida law that there be specificity on notice, because those trustees can come into that room and talk to each other about whatever they wish.”
Another lawyer for the school argued that the delays caused by the injunction could cost Miami Dade College up to $300,000, AP reported.
Following the original vote in September to transfer the land to Trump’s library, several notable Republican figures hailed the decision.
“Having the Trump Presidential Library in Miami will be good for Florida, for the city, and for Miami Dade College,” Governor Ron DeSantis said in a statement last month following the vote.
Eric Trump, one of the president’s sons, wrote on social media: “Consistent with our [family’s] DNA, this will be one of the most beautiful buildings ever built, an Icon on the Miami skyline.”
Eric Trump, Michael Boulous — husband of the president’s daughter Tiffany Trump — and James Kiley, an attorney for the president, serve as trustees of the library foundation.
