A complaint has been filed by Miami residents against Donald Trump, the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Miami Dade College, and others. The filing is in regard to Trump’s plans to build Trump Library in downtown Miami on an approximately 3-acre property at the foot of the historic Freedom Tower.
Plaintiffs allege that the defendants are in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Domestic Emolument Clause.
Plans to build Trump Library in Miami were rolled out in September. Renderings of Trump Library, designed by Bermello Ajamil & Partners, were shared in March.
Trump Library, as the proposal stands now, will rise 47 stories, a symbolic nod to Trump’s tenure as the 47th President.
The ground floor will be large enough to house an Air Force One jumbo jet. The lawsuit quotes Trump saying he “do[es] not believe in building libraries or museums.”
Large letters at the top of Trump Library that read “TRUMP” would illuminate the night sky, much like the Gensler-designed tower the Trump Organization aims to build in Tbilisi, Georgia.
The Trump Organization is courting private donors to help finance the project. So far, four major media conglomerates—ABC, Paramount, Meta, and X—have donated $63 million.
The payments are tax-exempt because they went to a nonprofit. Democrats including Senator Elizabeth Warren have raised concerns over the donations and are now demanding transparency from the media groups.
Now, plaintiffs, including historian Marvin Davis, allege that Trump has illegally benefitted financially from the presidential library project, claiming that the defendants are in violation of the Domestic Emoluments Clause.
The Domestic Emoluments Clause was enshrined in the U.S. Constitution to ensure the President doesn’t earn extra income other than their salary while in office.
“Florida officials have given the President a piece of state-owned property worth hundreds of millions of dollars,” the complaint says.
“With its waterfront views and central location in bustling Downtown Miami, the MDC Parcel would likely sell for over $300 million on the open market, according to local real estate experts. But President Trump paid nothing for it,” the complaint continues.
The Miami residents who filed the complaint include local condominium owners, a local nonprofit, and a Miami Dade College student. They each allege they have been injured financially and professionally by the proposal.
To remediate the injuries, plaintiffs seek “declaratory relief” and “equitable relief.”
