Ron DeSantis pushes for Trump presidential library in Florida

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Tuesday he hoped to turn a 2.6-acre parcel in downtown Miami into a Donald J. Trump Presidential Library. Trump had made a lasting impact on American history, and Florida would be honored to house his library, DeSantis said. He also claimed that Florida had advanced the president’s agenda better than any other state.

Where in Miami would the library be? The library’s proposed location is near Freedom Tower on the campus of Miami Dade College. The building would make Miami Dade the first American college campus to house a presidential library, Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas said on Tuesday. In a promotional video for the library, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said there was no better location to tell the story of Trump’s strength, redemption, and victory. He described the campus’s Freedom Tower as the Ellis Island of the South, serving as a beacon of freedom and liberty to the nation.

What needs to happen for the project to move forward? The proposed parcel is currently serving as a campus parking lot, according to DeSantis’ office. The Florida Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund will vote on whether to set aside the land during its meeting next week. The board is chaired by the governor, and the attorney general, chief financial officer, and the commissioner of agriculture also serve as members. 

Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia released a Tuesday statement declaring his support for the project, describing the proposed library as a well-deserved honor for the president. WORLD reached out to Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson for comment and did not receive an immediate response.