A Florida judge has temporarily blocked the state from accepting waterfront land in downtown Miami intended for the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library, all because of a lawsuit pushed by a left-wing activist. The land in question—a 2.6-acre plot owned by Miami Dade College—is currently a parking lot. But thanks to a technicality, President Trump’s plans are now in limbo.
Judge Mavel Ruiz of Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit ruled Tuesday that the college cannot transfer the land until a lawsuit is resolved. The suit, filed by anti-Trump activist Marvin Dunn, claims the school’s Board of Trustees didn’t properly inform the public before voting to donate the land.
Apparently, a board meeting notice stating “discussion of real estate transactions” wasn’t enough detail to satisfy Ruiz, who claimed the public should’ve been told exactly what land and to whom it would be transferred.
So much for transparency laws being “clear.” Even the judge admitted she was surprised by how little Florida’s Sunshine Law actually requires.
“This Court’s surprised with the minimal requirement for reasonable notice that the Sunshine Law really provides,” Judge Ruiz wrote. “So for that reason, the Court struggled with whether or not this disclosure was sufficient.”
Ultimately, she ruled in favor of the plaintiff—predicting Dunn is “likely to prevail” and ordering a pause on any land transfer paperwork. She left open the possibility of a do-over: the college could simply hold another, properly-noticed meeting to revisit the vote. You know, because bureaucracy makes everything better.
This isn’t about proper procedure—it’s about politics. Dunn, a liberal historian and activist with a long track record of anti-Trump rhetoric, sued Miami Dade College after they approved the land transfer in a short, five-minute meeting in September. The college says the land was requested by Gov. Ron DeSantis’s office and was legally transferred to the state.
But Dunn calls it a “giveaway,” even though the college bought the land for $25 million in 2004, and it’s now worth around $67 million. That said, real estate experts peg its market value as high as $360 million. Still, the college gets nothing for it—and that’s the real rub for opponents, who view anything involving Trump as automatically illegitimate.
Dunn’s lawyers claimed the college skirted Sunshine Law requirements by not publicly stating who the land was being given to. Attorneys for the college argued the meeting was lawful in every respect, and the transfer was common knowledge.
Judge Ruiz disagreed, again implying that the public deserved more clarity before the land was transferred to what Eric Trump proudly called:
“The greatest Presidential Library ever built, honoring the greatest President our Nation has ever known.”
But let’s not kid ourselves—this isn’t about legal technicalities. It’s about blocking anything with Trump’s name on it.
A spokesperson for Governor Ron DeSantis had no illusions about what was going on.
“Yet another example of an activist judge attempting to undermine President Trump and his legacy,” the spokesperson said. “Make no mistake, we will prevail. The Donald J. Trump Presidential Library will be housed in the Free State of Florida.”
Republican Rep. Randy Fine, who represents the area, didn’t mince words either:
“The framers told us what to do when judges got out of line — it’s impeach them,” he said. “And I think that’s something that we ought to be looking to do in many of these cases.”
Meanwhile, Dunn—who’s spent years attacking Trump online—tried to play the innocent victim when accused of politically motivated lawfare. During the hearing, he interrupted angrily:
“Of course not, that’s ridiculous! I resent that. How dare you suggest that of me?”
But Judge Ruiz tried to calm the storm, saying that Dunn’s politics were “irrelevant.” Somehow, they never are when Trump is involved.
The college’s attorneys plan to appeal, maintaining that they followed the law. If the court’s ruling stands, they’ll have to hold a new meeting with public notice that specifies the Trump Library land transfer—opening the door for more grandstanding and obstruction.
But the mission remains: to build a world-class tribute to the 45th and 47th President of the United States, right in the heart of Miami.
And it’ll take more than a parking lot protest, a partisan lawsuit, and a confused judge to stop it.
