Miami Dade College’s Board of Trustees on Tuesday once again signed off on transferring a valuable slice of Downtown Miami real estate for the planned presidential library for President Donald Trump, a unanimous vote delivered as the school faces continued legal scrutiny over the deal.
Meeting in a specially called session at the college’s Hialeah campus, trustees revisited the proposal involving nearly three acres of MDC-owned land on Biscayne Boulevard, next to the Freedom Tower. The parcel, currently used as a surface parking lot, has been at the center of controversy since the board first endorsed the transfer in September.
The do-over vote followed weeks of questions about whether the college violated Florida’s Sunshine Law when it initially approved the transfer. Critics argued the September meeting lacked proper public notice. A lawsuit soon followed.
In late April, a judge temporarily barred MDC from handing over the land to the state, ensuring the property stays under the college’s control until the legal challenge is resolved. That injunction remains in place as the case moves forward.
Ahead of Tuesday’s session, the college said residents would be allowed to address trustees a second time. But anyone hoping to speak was required to submit a written request via email before the meeting began, a condition that frustrated some community members who argued the process still limited public engagement.
Despite the ongoing court battle and renewed public attention, trustees moved quickly and voted unanimously to reaffirm the land transfer. The final outcome of the dispute now rests with the judge overseeing the Sunshine Law challenge.
Trial set for August 2026 in lawsuit seeking to block the transfer
Circuit Judge Mavel Ruiz in Miami scheduled a trial for Aug. 3, which will further delay Miami Dade College’s plans to formally transfer the land for the library.
Miami activist Marvin Dunn, a retired professor and chronicler of local Black history, filed the lawsuit arguing that the college board violated Florida’s Government in the Sunshine law by not providing sufficient notice for its special meeting on Sept. 23.
Attorneys for the college had asked the judge to stay the trial proceedings pending an appellate court’s review.
Ruiz acknowledged that the trial date could change, depending on how the appeals court proceeds.
