A group of Miami residents has filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump and the state of Florida, alleging that a prime waterfront land parcel was improperly transferred for the president's personal gain. The lawsuit, brought in US district court for the southern district of Florida by the Constitutional Accountability Center (CAC), claims that almost three acres of land once owned by Miami Dade College (MDC) were illegally gifted to Trump by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The plaintiffs cite the domestic emoluments clause of the US constitution, which prohibits a sitting president from receiving any personal profit or advantage from their position. The land, valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, was originally intended for a presidential library but will instead house a Trump hotel, according to the filing. Plans unveiled in March include a 50-storey tower with a giant golden statue of Trump and a controversial Boeing jumbo jet gifted by Qatar in its lobby.
The lawsuit argues that the transfer violated constitutional restrictions and that the land is no longer available to serve the MDC student community and downtown Miami. The CAC stated that Florida required the land to include only components of a presidential library, museum, or centre, leaving the door open for Trump to develop the property as he sees fit.
This is the second legal challenge to the land transfer. A previous lawsuit claimed that MDC trustees, most appointed by DeSantis, erred by handing the land to the state in September during an unadvertised meeting. The board held a do-over in December and voted unanimously to proceed. The Guardian has contacted the Trump Presidential Library Foundation and DeSantis's office for comment.
