DeSantis eyes land in downtown Miami for Trump presidential library
[September 24, 2025]
By KATE PAYNE
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing
to establish President Donald Trump’s presidential library in an iconic
stretch of downtown Miami.
Paving the way for the president’s post-administration historical
archives is another way DeSantis and conservative lawmakers are vying to
demonstrate their loyalty to Trump, who has shifted the center of his
political universe south to his adopted home state of Florida.
“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 announcing
the plan Tuesday.
The proposal sets aside a prime 2.63-acre (1.06-hectare) parcel of land
adjacent to the Freedom Tower, a historic building that rises alongside
the glitzy condos facing palm tree-lined Biscayne Bay. The Spanish
Revival skyscraper once housed one of the city's first newspapers. It
later served as a resource center for hundreds of thousands of Cubans
seeking asylum in the United States, according to Miami Dade College,
which now operates the site as a museum. It's considered a symbol of the
city's vibrant immigrant heritage and a refuge for those fleeing
communism.
The landmark tower has also been a site of recent protests against the
president and his crackdown on migrants. Cuban Americans, who dominate
politics in Miami, voted overwhelmingly for Trump in the last
presidential election. But the president's mass deportation agenda is
increasingly viewed as a betrayal and has left many second-guessing that
support.
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The Freedom Tower is seen in downtown Miami on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025.
(AP Photo/Daniel Kozin)
 In a video posted to social media, state Attorney
General James Uthmeier touted the location as ideal for honoring
what he described as the “greatest political comeback story in
history.”
“You better believe I'm voting yes,” Uthmeier said of the proposal
slated to come before the Florida Cabinet on Sept. 30.
The block directly south of the tower is owned by Miami Dade College
and currently used as a parking lot, Miami-Dade County records show.
Facing Biscayne Boulevard and adjacent to the basketball arena
that's home to the Miami Heat, the site is prime real estate, with
the county property appraiser valuing the parcels at more than $66
million.
Earlier this year, DeSantis signed a bill advanced by the
Republican-controlled Legislature to preempt local governments from
blocking development of a presidential library, an effort to stave
off any potential opposition from liberal-leaning counties or
municipalities.
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Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated
Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative.
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