Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is considering a proposal to establish a Donald Trump presidential library on a 2.6-acre parking lot next to Miami’s Freedom Tower. The site, located at 500-540 Biscayne Boulevard in downtown Miami, would be the first presidential library in Florida if approved.
DeSantis plans to submit the proposal to the Florida Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, which oversees state lands. The board is scheduled to vote on the matter at its meeting on September 30.
“No state has better delivered the President’s agenda than the Free State of Florida,” DeSantis said in a statement. “And we would be honored to house his presidential library here in his home state.”
Donald Trump, who served as both the 45th and 47th president of the United States, resides primarily at Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach.
The Board of Trustees includes DeSantis, Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson. Their responsibilities include managing and disposing of state-owned lands.
Currently, employees from Miami-Dade College’s Wolfson Campus use the parking lot for their vehicles. On Tuesday morning, according to a report by the Miami Herald, Miami-Dade College’s board of trustees voted to transfer ownership of this property to the state. The college also owns Freedom Tower, which recently reopened after undergoing $25 million worth of renovations.
Freedom Tower is recognized as one of downtown Miami’s most notable buildings. Built in 1925 as home for the now-defunct Miami News newspaper, it later became known for its role as a Cuban Refugee Center during the 1960s and 1970s. In 2005, ownership was transferred to Miami-Dade College and it was converted into a museum.
The relationship between DeSantis and Trump has been under scrutiny since last year’s Republican presidential primary campaign when DeSantis challenged Trump for party leadership but withdrew after determining he could not win.
In recent months, DeSantis’ administration supported measures that align with Trump’s immigration policies by converting an Everglades airstrip into an immigration detention facility called Alligator Alcatraz. A federal appeals court recently blocked an order that would have closed this facility.
