DeSantis Offers Trump Prime Miami Site For Presidential Library
President Donald Trump can add more than 2 acres in the heart of Downtown Miami to the growing list of potential sites for his presidential library.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to offer a 2.63-acre parcel adjacent to the historic Freedom Tower to serve as the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library, his office announced. The Florida Cabinet plans to consider conveying the land, across the street from the Kaseya Center in downtown Miami, on Sept. 30.
“President Trump has achieved results for the American people and made a lasting impact on our nation’s history,” DeSantis said in a statement. “No state has better delivered the President’s agenda than the Free State of Florida, and we would be honored to house his presidential library here in his home state.”
The site, which faces Biscayne Boulevard, is currently an employee parking lot for Miami-Dade College’s Wolfson Campus, which the school voted to hand over to the state, the Miami Herald reported.
If Trump were to accept the land conveyance, his library would rise next to Freedom Tower, a 14-story Spanish Revival building that housed one of Miami’s first newspapers and later became a resource center for Cubans seeking asylum in the U.S. between 1962 and 1974.
After a $25M renovation starting in 2023, the tower, once Miami's tallest building, is reopening as a museum this month.
A board made up of DeSantis, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson will vote on the land conveyance. Uthmeier has already signaled he would vote yes.
Trump, a native New Yorker, officially moved his primary residence to Florida after his first stint in the White House. State officials began working on Florida's first presidential library when they passed a law in April blocking counties and municipalities from enacting or enforcing measures regarding presidential libraries unless authorized by federal law, according to Florida Politics.
His team has reportedly toured Miami’s Florida International University and Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton — which offered Trump a 100-year lease at no cost — as prospects.
Trump’s son, Eric Trump, and son-in-law, Michael Boulos, started a nonprofit named The Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation Inc. in May, according to state corporate filings.
The construction of the complex is expected to be funded by donors, leftover funds from the president’s campaign and legal settlements. The resolutions to lawsuits he filed targeting Meta, ABC News, X and Paramount have totaled more than $63M, CBS News reported in July.
Memorabilia for the 45th and 47th president, like the $440M Boeing 747 jet his administration received as a gift from Qatar, are set to serve as attractions.
Presidential libraries can cost hundreds of millions to build and operate — but can generate billions in economic impact through tourism and job creation.
