A Miami-Dade Circuit Court judge on Tuesday blocked Miami Dade College from transferring property to the state for Donald Trump\u2019s presidential library, ensuring the school keeps the land in its possession until the court issues a final verdict in a lawsuit alleging the institution violated Florida law when its trustees voted to give away prime downtown land.<\/p>\n
The move marks the first major hurdle for Trump\u2019s plans to build a high-rise library in downtown Miami adjacent to the Freedom Tower, which have otherwise swept through two government boards unanimously with no debate or discussion.<\/p>\n
The school now has two options: Its Board of Trustees can hold a new, publicly noticed meeting to discuss the transfer of the land, the remedy sought by the plaintiff, historian Marvin Dunn. A recent poll found the deal to be locally unpopular, even among Republicans<\/a>.<\/p>\n Or the college\u2019s attorneys can continue to argue in court that its September notice about a Board of Trustees meeting to \u201cdiscuss potential real estate transactions\u201d was sufficient notice to the public of its plans under Florida\u2019s Sunshine law.<\/p>\n During hearings on Monday afternoon and Tuesday evening, the college\u2019s attorneys argued that Florida\u2019s Sunshine law only requires notification, not specifics about the purpose of a public meeting.<\/p>\n But the judge disagreed, ruling that there is a likelihood that Dunn will win the case, and declaring that the college can\u2019t give up the land in the meantime.<\/p>\n \u201cThe court does not believe that the notice was reasonable,\u201d Judge Mavel Ruiz said after a two-hour hearing Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n The trustees voted during the Sept. 23 meeting to transfer the 2.6 acres the college purchased for $25 million in 2004 to a state board at no cost. The vice chair of the Board of Trustees said he had not received confirmation of the state\u2019s plans for the land, and records provided by the College show the trustees had not been provided any additional materials about the deal before voting.<\/p>\n The state board, made up of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet, voted to give the land to Trump\u2019s presidential library foundation a week later, with the only condition being that construction begin within five years.<\/p>\n The college\u2019s attorneys argued that the case was politically motivated, drawing on Dunn\u2019s past social media posts critical of Trump, at one point suggesting that one of Dunn\u2019s posts presented a \u201cthreat to the president\u2019s life.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course not, that\u2019s ridiculous. I resent that. I respect the law, I thoroughly resent that. How dare you suggest that of me?\u201d Dunn said in one of the more heated moments of Tuesday\u2019s hearing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s irrelevant,\u201d Judge Ruiz interjected. \u201cWhat is relevant here is whether the notice was sufficient to inform the public.\u201d<\/p>\n She did, however, in issuing the plaintiff\u2019s requested temporary injunction leave wiggle room to be swayed before she makes a final decision on the alleged Sunshine law violation. She noted that she had thought the law was more detailed than she now thinks it is after hearing the college\u2019s case.<\/p>\n \u201cThis court\u2019s surprised with the minimal requirement for reasonable notice that the Sunshine law really provides. So for that reason, this court struggled with whether or not this disclosure was sufficient,\u201d Ruiz said.<\/p>\n The college\u2019s attorneys also argued that it was already public information that the site was under consideration for Trump\u2019s presidential library. The Miami Herald reported in June<\/a> that Trump\u2019s team had visited the site as a potential location.<\/p>\n