HIALEAH, FLA. (WSVN) - Miami Dade College’s Board of Trustees voted for a second time to give a two-acre property in downtown Miami to the state for the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library.
Tuesday afternoon, board members voted unanimously to transfer the public land in downtown for the proposed library. This time, the vote was taken after a public hearing.
The issue first came up back in September.
“This is an incredible opportunity for Miami-Dade County, especially for our college,” said Roberto Alonso, Vice Chair of the Miami Dade College District Board of Trustees.
The college advised people who wished to speak at the hearing to send in a written request via email to streamline process. However, they were also able to sign up Tuesday morning. Each person had three minutes to address the board.
Tuesday’s vote came amid an ongoing legal battle over whether the college violated Florida’s Sunshine Laws the first time it voted to give away the land in September, which held no public announcement. The suit against the board, filed by Marvin Dunn and Richard Brodsky, alleges a lack of transparency.
“If you think you can make this lawsuit go away by holding this meeting, you should have another thing coming,” said Brodsky, the attorney behind the filing, during public comments at the hearing.
“I am a proud man, but I’m reduced to begging not to do this,” said Dunn, a historian and retired Florida International University professor. “This lawsuit is not gonna go away. I’m gonna be right here until the very end and we will stop this.”
A judge at the time the lawsuit was filed agreed and granted a temporary injunction that would block the transfer of the land. The first vote brought along protests.
The two acres of prime real estate would be given to the state for the library and not sold for the millions of dollars it is worth. The location of the proposed library is also significant for many as it is right next to the Miami Freedom Tower — a place that stands for hope for immigrants, with many calling this proposal twisted symbolism.
Ana Sofia Pelaez, Executive Director of the Miami Freedom Project, was among those who opposed the donation of the land.
“I don’t think there’s any question that the current president of the United States has been very vocal about his views on immigration. His policies have felt bad,” Pelaez said.
This would be the 17th Presidential Library. Trump himself has reportedly also pushed for the construction to include a Trump hotel, although it’s unclear if that would actually happen.
Tuesday’s meeting started around 8 a.m. The room at Miami Dade’s Hialeah campus was filled with more than 100 people. Some were there to support the Board of Trustees handing over their land, while others were against the proposal.
“I ask the board: don’t let yourselves be intimidated. A presidential library is an asset to any academic institution,” one woman said during public comment.
“I am a Cuban, Catholic and Republican and political refugee. The idea that you want to honor a president that has such contempt for our community is unbelievable,” another woman said.
One man said during public comment, “The fiduciary obligation that you all have as members of this board to do, in a real estate transaction, what is quote ‘best for the college.’ There is no compensation provided to the college for this land.”
At around 12:40 p.m. the board voted once again to donate the land to the state for the development of a presidential library.
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