DeSantis eyes Miami land for Trump presidential library as Cabinet weighs plan

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday proposed locating President Donald Trump’s presidential library on a 2.63-acre parcel in downtown Miami, adjacent to the Freedom Tower. The plan would situate the library on land just south of the tower along Biscayne Bay and is framed as a way to preserve the former president’s archives while signaling support from Florida Republicans after Trump shifted much of his political focus to the state. "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 accompanying the plan. The proposal is slated to come before the Florida Cabinet on Sept. 30.

The 2.63-acre parcel sits directly south of the Freedom Tower, a Spanish Revival skyscraper that has long anchored Miami’s skyline. The tower, which once housed one of the city’s first newspapers, later served as a refugee processing and resettlement hub for hundreds of thousands of Cubans seeking asylum in the United States and is now operated by Miami Dade College as a museum celebrating immigrant heritage. The block directly south of the tower is owned by Miami Dade College and currently used as a parking lot, county records show. The property’s value is estimated at more than $66 million by the county property appraiser. [Image shows the Freedom Tower and surrounding area.]

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,” he said of the proposal slated to be reviewed by the Florida Cabinet on Sept. 30. The plan comes after DeSantis signed a preemption measure earlier this year, pushed through by a Republican-controlled Legislature, to prevent local governments from blocking development of a presidential library. The law is aimed at staving off opposition from liberal-leaning counties or municipalities and to streamline the construction timeline for such facilities.

Supporters frame the effort as a reflection of Florida’s growing role in national politics and a continuation of Trump’s long-standing ties to the state, where he has relocated his political and personal footprint. Cuban Americans, who have historically dominated Miami politics, supported Trump in large margins in recent elections, but the mass deportation and immigration policies associated with his administration have complicated some voters’ views in a city with a deep immigrant heritage. DeSantis’s proposal underscores a broader strategy by allied Republicans to align state leadership with Trump’s orbit and to present Florida as the stage for the former president’s next chapters. While the Cabinet vote on Sept. 30 will determine immediate feasibility, the plan has already heightened questions about how a presidential library might influence local planning, tourism, and political symbolism in one of the nation’s most politically dynamic regions.

If approved, the project would join a growing list of presidential libraries and archives that anchor post-presidential narratives in places favored by their subjects. In Florida, the move reinforces the perception that the state has become a central hub for Trump’s political operations, a trend that has implications for both national campaigns and local governance as Florida continues to attract attention from national observers and political operatives alike.