The Trump Library File · State land · Board of Trustees · Emoluments suit
State records, court filings and credited reporting · updated Oct. 20, 2026
Florida gave 2.63 acres overlooking Biscayne Bay to Trump’s library foundation for $10.
The county values the land at about $67 million.
The parcel was a Miami Dade College employee parking lot beside the Freedom Tower. In September 2025 the college’s trustees voted to hand it to the state, and a week later Gov. Ron DeSantis and the three Cabinet members, sitting as the state’s land board, voted to give it to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation. The only condition the board approved for the deed: within five years, the land must hold “components” of a presidential library, museum or center, or construction must have started. On March 31, 2026, the president said the building would most likely be a hotel. Here is how the land moved, what the state’s own paperwork says, who voted, Attorney General James Uthmeier’s part, the two lawsuits, and what none of these records show.
A downtown block on Biscayne Boulevard. Four figures for what it is worth, each measuring something different.
The parcel covers 2.63 acres, more or less, between NE 5th and NE 6th streets, NE 2nd Avenue and Biscayne Boulevard, immediately south of the Freedom Tower and across the boulevard from the Kaseya Center. It was made up of 12 adjoining parcels, per the federal complaint. Miami Dade College bought it in 2004 and used it as a parking lot for its Wolfson Campus. NBC 6 reported the county property appraiser lists the foundation as owner at 531 NE 2 Ave.; the complaint gives the appraiser’s listing as 500 Biscayne Blvd.
Different measures of the same land · never added together or compared as one scale
What these figures do not show: the price the land would actually fetch. No appraisal ordered for this transfer appears in the state’s agenda (chapter 03), and no sale has tested the market. The foundation paid $10 on each deed. The complaint also alleges the foundation qualified this year for an educational exemption from property taxes worth more than $1 million; SignalData has not yet checked the appraiser’s record.
From the college to the state to the foundation, in two votes and two $10 deeds.
- May 23, 2025 Eric Trump and Michael Boulos incorporate The Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, Inc. in Florida. Its trustees are Eric Trump, Boulos (Tiffany Trump’s husband) and James D. Kiley, a lawyer who has represented the president.
- June 23, 2025 DeSantis signs SB 118 (chapter 2025-170), which bars cities and counties from regulating “a presidential library” (chapter 06).
- Sept. 16, 2025 The college board receives a letter from the Florida Office of Cabinet Affairs asking it to convey the parcel to the state land board. The same day, it posts notice of a special meeting a week later to “discuss potential real estate transactions.”
- Sept. 23, 2025, 8 a.m. The college trustees vote unanimously to convey the land to the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund. The agenda’s one action item does not name the parcel or the final recipient.
- Sept. 23, 2025, 8:22 a.m. Attorney General Uthmeier posts on X that the Cabinet will vote the next week to dedicate the college’s land to Trump’s presidential library. DeSantis’s office announces the agenda item the same day.
- Sept. 30, 2025 DeSantis, Uthmeier, CFO Blaise Ingoglia and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson approve the gift unanimously (chapter 03).
- Oct. 6 – Dec. 19, 2025 A Sunshine Law suit by historian Marvin Dunn blocks the transfer; the college re-votes after a detailed notice on Dec. 2, and the judge lifts the block (chapter 07).
- January 2026 The college deeds the land to the state board for $10; the Miami Herald reported College President Madeline Pumariega signed it.
- February 2026 The state board quitclaims the land to the foundation for $10. The Miami Herald reported DeSantis, Uthmeier, Ingoglia and Simpson were signatories; the recorded deed is not yet pulled.
- March 30–31, 2026 Eric Trump and the president post a video rendering of a tower crowned with “TRUMP.” On March 31 the president says it will most likely be a hotel (chapter 06).
- May 13, 2026 A federal suit asks a judge to declare the gift an unconstitutional emolument and void it (chapter 07).
Item 1 on the Sept. 30 agenda: a gift, no price, no appraisal listed. Every land purchase on the same agenda lists appraisals.
Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund · Sept. 30, 2025 · Item 1
- Request
- Accept the college’s conveyance; find that giving the land away “will provide a greater benefit to the public than its retention in public ownership” (Rule 18-2.018(3)(b)1.c., F.A.C.); delegate approval to convey it to the foundation
- Grantee
- Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, Inc.
- Land
- 2.63 acres, more or less, of non-conservation land; portions of Lots 1–15, Block 61N, Knowlton’s Map of Miami
- Consideration
- None listed. Recommendation: “approval by gift with deed restriction”
- Appraisal
- None listed
- Condition
- Within five years, the land contains “components of a Presidential library, museum, and/or center,” or construction of one has begun. If not, the board “reserves the right” to take the land back.
- Public benefit stated
- More economic development in the region, and a place for Floridians to honor a president’s service
- Notice
- The rule requiring notice did not apply because the parcel is under five acres
- Local plan
- Not considered; the department treats land conveyances as outside local planning
- Votes needed
- Three
Florida Forever purchases on the same agenda (Items 4A–4H)
Same agenda, Items 4A–4H. Three rural-lands easement purchases on the same agenda (Items 8A–8C: $9,470,000, $32,100,000 and $68,150,000) also list two appraisals each. Each is a separate transaction; the amounts are not added. Item 4F, the Destin purchase, works out to $20,831,630 per acre by the agenda’s own figure.
| Item | Land | State pays | Appraisals listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4F | ≈4 acres, Destin (fee) | $83,326,520 | One, plus a second for information |
| 4E | 5,631 acres, Collier/Hendry (easement) | $25,100,000 | Two |
| 4B | 1,670 acres, Martin (easement) | $17,169,200 | Two |
| 4H | 5,855 acres, Collier | $14,200,000 | Two |
| 4G | 543 acres, Duval | $9,225,000 | Two |
| 4C | 1,889 acres, Hendry (easement) | $6,477,800 | Two |
| 4A | 1,400 acres, Osceola (easement) | $6,300,000 | Two |
| 4D | 3,094 acres, Putnam (easement) | $5,450,000 | Two |
| 1 | 2.63 acres, Miami (gift out) | Gift | None |
What this does not show: that a rule required an appraisal before a gift. Purchases and gifts follow different rules, and the agenda cites a public-benefit finding, not a price, as the test for giving land away. SignalData is asking the Department of Environmental Protection whether any appraisal or valuation was prepared (chapter 09). Nominal-price land is also common for presidential libraries: Chicago leased the Obama Presidential Center its park land for 99 years for $10, as the Globe reported.
Three votes, all unanimous. No member of either board voted no.
Voted to give the land away
Voted no or abstained: none found
Governor · chair of the land boardRon DeSantisProposed Item 1 and voted yes on Sept. 30, 2025. Signed the deed to the foundation, per the Miami Herald. Said he was proud to “spearhead” the effort and that the library would be good for Florida, the city and the college. Term-limited; not on the 2026 ballot.
Attorney general · on the Nov. 3 ballotJames UthmeierAnnounced the vote on X minutes after the college’s meeting began, voted yes, signed the deed (per the Miami Herald), and had his office defend the college in the Sunshine Law suit (chapter 05). Faces Democrat José Javier Rodríguez.
Chief financial officer · on the Nov. 3 ballotBlaise IngogliaVoted yes and, per the Miami Herald, signed the deed. Said the conveyance “enshrines Florida as Trump Country.”
Commissioner of agriculture · on the Nov. 3 ballotWilton SimpsonVoted yes and, per the Miami Herald, signed the deed. Told Politico the vote was to allow the library there, and if other amenities came with it, “so be it.”
Miami Dade College District Board of TrusteesSeven trustees, all appointed by DeSantisVoted unanimously on Sept. 23, 2025, and again on Dec. 2, 2025. Members named in the May 2026 federal complaint: Michael Bileca (chair), Roberto Alonso (vice chair), Marcell Felipe, Ismare Monreal, Juan Segovia, José Félix Díaz and David J. Smith. Alonso told the New York Times there were not many options because the trustees are appointed by the governor. Who attended each meeting is not yet checked against the minutes.
Sources: CFO’s office release with each member’s statement, Sept. 30, 2025; DeSantis’s “spearhead” statement as quoted by the Boston Globe; Simpson to Politico and Alonso to the New York Times, as quoted in the federal complaint ¶¶ 21, 97, 127; deed signatories per the Miami Herald.
He announced it, voted for it, signed the deed and had his office defend it in court.
What the records show
- Sept. 23, 2025, 8:22 a.m.: Uthmeier posted on X that the Cabinet would vote the next week to dedicate the college’s land to the library, with a produced video of him at the site. The college’s meeting had begun at 8 a.m.; its notice had not said what land or for what.
- Sept. 30, 2025: voted yes. He called the vote an honor and praised the “patriotic stories” the foundation will showcase.
- Sept. 30, 2025: Eric Trump thanked DeSantis and Uthmeier on X, calling them “incredible partners in this endeavor.”
- Oct. 8, 2025: Trump endorsed Uthmeier for a full term on Truth Social, calling him “THE MAN behind ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ.” The post did not mention the library. The records reviewed here show no connection between the vote and the endorsement.
- October 2025: his office took over the college’s defense in Dunn’s Sunshine Law suit; he called it a “bogus lawsuit” on X. The attorney general is the state’s chief legal officer and also enforces the Sunshine Law.
- February 2026: signed the deed to the foundation as a member of the land board, per the Miami Herald.
- He is a named defendant, in his official capacity, in the federal emoluments suit.
What they say
- Andres Rivero, a lawyer who represented Dunn, asked how the attorney general knew to release a video minutes after the vote. (Florida Trident, July 7, 2026)
- José Javier Rodríguez, Uthmeier’s Democratic opponent, told the Globe the endorsement after Alligator Alcatraz and the library vote was no coincidence.
- Ben Wilcox of Integrity Florida told the Trident the timing gives the appearance that the endorsement was transactional.
- Uthmeier’s office did not respond to requests for comment from the Globe or the Trident. The White House declined to tell the Globe whether the land deal was a factor in the endorsement.
What these records do not show: that the endorsement was connected to the vote, or who told the attorney general’s office about the college’s plan before its meeting. DeSantis proposed the item and called himself its leader; Uthmeier was one of four votes. Communications between the governor’s office, the attorney general’s office, the college and the foundation in September 2025 are being requested (chapter 09).
The deed asks for library “components.” The president says it will most likely be a hotel.
What has been said about the building
- Sept. 30, 2025: Eric Trump said the building would be “visible for miles into the Atlantic.”
- December 2025: Politico reported a 47-story tower was under discussion; an unnamed Trump associate described a few floors of library, then hotel, then office space.
- March 31, 2026: a video rendering by Miami architects Bermello Ajamil showed a tower topped by “TRUMP,” a gold statue, a gold escalator and a 747 in the lobby. Later that day the president said: “I don’t believe in building libraries or museums,” and that it would most likely be a hotel, with a 747 Air Force One in the lobby. He also said the state “worked with us” to get “the best block in Miami.”
- Cost: at least $950 million, as reported by the Miami Herald.
What the law and the deed allow
- The deed: the land must contain “components” of a presidential library, museum or center within five years, or construction must have begun. It does not bar commercial floors. No state official has publicly defined “components.”
- Section 257.51, Florida Statutes (SB 118, 2025): no county or city may enact or enforce any rule governing “a presidential library.” The law defines that as an institution administered or designated under the federal Presidential Libraries Act.
- Open question: whether hotel or office floors in the same tower would fall under that preemption, or under the city’s zoning. No court has ruled, and no building permit or federal designation is on record that we have found.
- The foundation told the federal court its charter bars using its net earnings or assets to benefit the president or any individual.
A state judge blocked the transfer, then let it go after a second vote. A federal suit to void it is waiting on immunity defenses.
State court · Sunshine Law
- Case
- Dunn v. Miami Dade College, No. 2025-019608-CA-01 (Miami-Dade Circuit Court)
- Filed
- Oct. 6, 2025, by historian Marvin Dunn
- Claim
- The Sept. 23 notice did not tell the public what land or what transaction the board would take up
- Oct. 14 / Nov. 3, 2025
- Judge Mavel Ruiz blocked the transfer from the bench, then in writing, finding the notice did not identify the real estate or the transaction. Dunn pledged his home for the court-ordered bond. The college appealed to the Third District Court of Appeal (WLRN, Nov. 4, 2025).
- Dec. 2, 2025
- The college re-voted after a notice naming the parcel and the presidential library
- Dec. 18–19, 2025
- The judge dismissed the complaint without prejudice (Dec. 18, per AP) and, in a written order dated Dec. 19, dissolved the injunction, finding the new notice sufficient
- Defense
- The college, with the Attorney General’s Office stepping in
Federal court · Domestic Emoluments Clause
- Case
- Sistrunk Seeds Inc. v. Trump, No. 1:26-cv-23365-RAR (S.D. Fla.)
- Filed
- May 13, 2026, by the Constitutional Accountability Center and Gelber Schachter & Greenberg
- Plaintiffs
- Dunn’s urban-farm nonprofit, a Miami Dade College student and two nearby condo owners
- Defendants
- The president (official capacity), the foundation, DeSantis, Uthmeier, Ingoglia, Simpson, the land board, the college and its seven trustees
- Claim
- Art. II, § 1, cl. 7 bars a state from giving the president any emolument beyond his salary; the gift reaches him through a foundation run by his son, son-in-law and lawyer
- Relief sought
- A declaration that the gift violates the clause, an injunction, and an order declaring the transfer void
- Sept. 11, 2026
- Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz II stayed all discovery until he rules on motions to dismiss raising presidential and Eleventh Amendment immunity and standing
- Status
- Motions to dismiss pending, as reported through early October 2026
The plaintiffs argue
- “Emolument” meant any profit or advantage at the founding; the clause was written so no state could buy a president’s favor.
- A gift to a foundation controlled by family and a lawyer reaches the president constructively.
- Florida has interests the president decides on: offshore drilling, disaster aid, NASA’s headquarters, trade.
The defendants and their supporters argue
- The president is immune from this kind of suit, and the state defendants are protected by the Eleventh Amendment.
- The plaintiffs lack standing to sue.
- There is no proof the building will benefit the president while in office, and the foundation’s charter bars private benefit.
- An amicus brief by Prof. Seth Barrett Tillman and the Landmark Legal Foundation argues the transfer is not an emolument.
Arguments summarized in our own words from the complaint, the Boston Globe’s account of the defendants’ filings, and Landmark Legal Foundation. The motions themselves are not yet pulled.
The foundation has not disclosed its donors. What is known came from lawsuits and letters to Congress.
Legal settlementABC News · $15MAgreed in December 2024 to settle Trump’s defamation suit, toward a presidential foundation and museum.Settlement agreement, as cited in the federal complaint ¶ 49
Legal settlementMeta · $22MToward the library, per the company’s response to Sen. Elizabeth Warren.As reported by the Boston Globe
Legal settlementParamount · $16MSettled the “60 Minutes” suit in July 2025.As reported by the Boston Globe
ContributionSoftBank · $50MJanuary 2026. A company lawyer confirmed it to members of Congress, saying it would support a space on U.S.–Japan ties.SoftBank letter to lawmakers, as reported by the Boston Globe
Separate payments, each with its own source · not added together
What these records do not show: whether any of this money has reached the Miami project, or what became of settlement money pledged before the current foundation existed. An earlier entity, the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Fund, was administratively dissolved by the state on Sept. 26, 2025, and its organizer filed articles of dissolution on Dec. 29, 2025 (complaint ¶¶ 55–56); congressional Democrats have asked where its money went. The Obama Foundation discloses its donors voluntarily; the Globe reported there is no requirement to do so.
What these records do not show, and what we are still checking.
The records do not show
- That any law was broken. A state judge found the first notice inadequate; the college cured it with a second vote. The federal claim has not been decided.
- That the land will be used for a hotel. The president has said so; no plans have been filed that we have found.
- Any link between the vote and the president’s endorsement of Uthmeier.
- What the land would sell for. No appraisal for this transfer appears in the state’s records.
- That the president will profit. The foundation, not the president, holds the deed, and says its charter bars private benefit.
Still being checked
- The Office of Cabinet Affairs letter of Sept. 16, 2025, and September 2025 communications among the governor’s office, the attorney general’s office, the college and the foundation (public records request).
- Any appraisal or valuation of the parcel prepared for the college or the Department of Environmental Protection.
- Both recorded deeds, the folio record and the tax exemption, from the Miami-Dade Clerk and Property Appraiser.
- The college’s own notices, agendas and minutes for Sept. 23 and Dec. 2, 2025, including attendance.
- The state court file, and the federal motions to dismiss and any ruling.
- The foundation’s Sunbiz filings and tax returns.
Every card carries its source and its limits.
Responses and open questions
- Gov. DeSantis has said the library will be good for Florida, the city and the college. The White House calls it one of the most magnificent buildings in the world. Attorney General Uthmeier’s office did not respond to the Boston Globe or the Florida Trident.
- SignalData will seek comment from Attorney General Uthmeier, the governor’s office, CFO Ingoglia, Commissioner Simpson, Miami Dade College, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Trump library foundation before this File leaves preview. Responses will be added here, dated.