Trump’s Presidential Library Could Come to Downtown Miami

Downtown Miami could one day be the home of Donald Trump’s presidential library. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to allocate a 2.6-acre parcel at 500 and 540 Biscayne Boulevard for Trump’s future presidential library. The land, which sits adjacent to the historic Freedom Tower and faces Biscayne Bay, now functions as a parking lot for employees of Miami-Dade College’s Wolfson Campus.

On Tuesday, the trustees of Miami Dade College voted to transfer the parking lot to the state, the Miami Herald reported. Next week, the trustees of Florida’s Internal Improvement Trust Fund — at the behest of DeSantis — will also vote on the matter. The government board manages Florida’s public land. 

“No state has better delivered the president’s agenda than the Free State of Florida, and we would be honored to house his presidential library here in his home state,” DeSantis said in a statement. 

The announcement comes as DeSantis vies to get back in the president’s good graces after his failed bid to challenge Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Trump also notably keeps his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach as his private residence, while the Eric Trump-run Trump Organization expands its footprint around other parts of the state. 

Presidential libraries typically contain documents and archives from a former president’s time in office, although in modern times the libraries also serve as museums dedicated to highlighting accomplishments. Many have become tourist attractions, particularly Ronald Reagan’s presidential library in Simi Valley, Calif., which drew roughly 250,000 visitors in 2024. 

If approved, the presidential library would be erected next door to the landmarked Freedom Tower, which was built in 1925. The 17-story Spanish Renaissance Revival tower first served as the office of the Miami News and, decades later, as a refugee center for Cuban immigrants. 

In 2005, the building came under the ownership of Miami-Dade College, which turned it into a museum about Cuban immigrants in Miami. This summer, the building reopened following a $25 million renovation. 

President Trump has already amassed $53 million in committed donations for his library, thanks to legal settlements made with the parent companies of media organizations, such as ABC News and CBS News, as well as Facebook’s parent Meta.

Julia Echikson can be reached at jechikson@commercialobserver.com.