A group of Miami residents filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday against President Donald Trump, Governor Ron DeSantis, Miami Dade College, and state officials in an attempt to block the construction of the Trump presidential library in Miami, claiming that the land donation violates the Constitution of the United States.
The case, identified as Sistrunk Seeds Inc. et al. v. Trump et al. (No. 1:26-cv-23365), was filed in the Federal District Court for the Southern District of Florida by the Constitutional Accountability Center and the law firm Gelber Schachter & Greenberg.
The plaintiffs include two residents of Miami, the nonprofit organization Dunn's Overtown Farm —owned by the emeritus professor of Florida International University, Marvin Dunn— and a student of urban agriculture.
The central argument of the 57-page lawsuit is that the land transfer violates the Domestic Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, which prohibits states from granting financial benefits to a sitting president.
"The clause on internal emoluments was adopted to ensure the unconditional loyalty of the president to the interests of the United States as a whole, preventing individual states from providing gifts and other benefits in the hope of receiving favorable treatment in return," states the lawsuit.
The disputed land is a 2.63-acre parcel located along Biscayne Boulevard, across from the Kaseya Center and near the Freedom Tower, officially valued at 66-67 million dollars by the Miami-Dade County appraiser in 2025, although experts cited in the lawsuit estimate its actual value to be as high as 360 million dollars.
The plaintiffs also cite statements made by Trump himself as evidence of commercial intent: the president told reporters that the complex could include "a hotel with a beautiful building underneath and a Boeing 747 Air Force One in the lobby."
The designs shared by Eric Trump feature a skyscraper with the "TRUMP" sign identical to the logo of The Trump Organization, resembling the family's hotel properties.
The history of the land has accumulated a long chain of controversies. Miami Dade College unanimously voted to cede the parcel to the state of Florida on September 23, 2025, and a week later DeSantis and his cabinet formally approved the transfer to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, Inc.
In October 2025, Circuit Judge Mavel Ruiz temporarily blocked the transfer following a previous lawsuit by Marvin Dunn for violations of open government laws, but the Third District Court of Appeals rejected the effort to uphold that measure in November of that year.
On December 3, 2025, Miami Dade College unanimously affirmed the transfer after three and a half hours of public debate, and in February 2026, the property was formally transferred to the foundation.
In March 2026, Trump revealed new designs for the project —an impressive glass skyscraper with a tricolor spire and American flag— through an artificial intelligence video on Truth Social.
The project includes a replica of the Oval Office, the West Colonnade, a ballroom, giant screens, and an adjacent hotel, making it the first presidential library to feature a complementary tourism development.
The Republican-controlled Florida Legislature also passed a law that prevents local governments from blocking the construction of presidential libraries, shielding the project from potential municipal obstacles.
The current lawsuit is the second legal action against the project. Dunn, one of the plaintiffs, had already warned about the extent of public opposition: "It's a waste of time coming here. We have 20,000 letters sent to these board members saying: don't do this."
The lawsuit requests the annulment of the land transfer and constitutional accountability, which could ultimately halt the construction if the federal courts accept the plaintiffs' arguments.
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