Protesters push back against plans to build Trump presidential library in Miami
It's official – Trump's presidential library can be built next to Miami's historic Freedom Tower after a vote by state leaders Tuesday morning, Governor Ron DeSantis' office announced.
Last week, Miami Dade College's board voted unanimously to transfer ownership of a 2.6-acre parking lot to the state of Florida, clearing the way for the proposed library.
The Florida Cabinet on Tuesday passed the agenda item during its meeting with "unanimous support," according to DeSantis, who championed the plan.
"Having the Trump Presidential Library in Miami will be good for Florida, for the city, and for Miami Dade College," DeSantis said in a statement following the vote. "No state has supported the President's agenda more than the Free State of Florida, and I was proud to spearhead the successful effort to house this historic presidential library right here in his home state."
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier was also quick to show his support by preemptively expressing his vote would be "yes."
"It was an honor to vote in favor of making Florida the future home of President Trump's Presidential Library," Uthmeier said in a statement. "I look forward to the patriotic stories the Trump Library Foundation will showcase for generations to come in the Free State of Florida."
Controversy over plan for presidential library
But the plan for the presidential library to be neighbors to Freedom Tower was met with sharp criticism.
Some Miami Dade College students said they were not in favor of such a library, and a protest was held outside Freedom Tower on Monday.
Protest organizer, retired professor and historian at Florida International University, Dr. Martin Dunn, underscored the symbolic importance of the Freedom Tower, which once served as a processing center for Cuban refugees.
"That building should stand forever as a recognition of Cuban Americans being able to come to this country in freedom, but to blemish it by putting a library next to it, dedicated to someone who has suppressed freedom in our country to an extent that we've never seen before, is a contradiction that I don't understand," he said.
Protestors carried signs, arguing the property should be preserved for both students and the community.
The Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation will have five years to move forward with the project.
Briauna Brown is a digital content producer for CBS Texas. A longtime and versatile journalist, Briauna writes, edits and produces social media content for all CBS Texas digital platforms.
