Judge blocks MDC land transfer to Trump library over Sunshine Law

A Miami-Dade Circuit Court judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked Miami Dade College from transferring nearly 3 acres of prime downtown land to the state for what would become the presidential library for former President Donald Trump, ruling there is a substantial likelihood that a lawsuit alleging violations of Florida's open meetings law will succeed. Circuit Judge Mavel Ruiz ordered the college to retain the property while the case proceeds after a two-hour hearing in Miami.

The lawsuit was filed this month by Marvin Dunn, a local activist and chronicler of Black history, who contends the college's Board of Trustees violated Florida's Government in the Sunshine law by providing inadequate notice for a special meeting on Sept. 23 when trustees voted to transfer the parcel to a state board. A week later, the governor and the Florida Cabinet voted to place the land under the control of the foundation for the planned presidential library. The property, on a palm tree lined stretch of Biscayne Boulevard, is assessed at more than $67 million in 2025 county records; a real estate expert has suggested its market value could be substantially higher.

Judge Ruiz said the court does not...