Uthmeier is directing state-funded lawyers to defend Miami-Dade College in ‘bogus lawsuit.’
Florida’s Attorney General is assigning his own staff lawyers to defend Miami-Dade College[1] in a growing legal spat over a proposed Presidential Library for Donald Trump.
James Uthmeier announced he’s hand-selected state-funded staff to get involved in the lawsuit. This week, a Florida judge issued a temporary block[2] on a planned land transfer in downtown Miami, where a proposed library facility featuring Trump’s presidency would be located.
“Under my authority as Florida’s Chief Legal Officer, our office stepped in (Wednesday) to represent Miami-Dade College in this bogus lawsuit,” Uthmeier posted on his official Attorney General X account Thursday.
Uthmeier decided his office should get involved following a ruling by Circuit Judge Mavel Ruiz, following a legal filing by a Miami activist alleging that officials at the local college violated Florida’s open government law. Officials with Miami-Dade College agreed to gift the sizable plot of real estate to the state, which then voted to transfer it to the foundation for the planned library[3].
The ruling came down Tuesday.
“This is not an easy decision,” Ruiz said Tuesday when explaining her ruling from the bench, finding that the college didn’t give the public reasonable notice ahead of the vote last month. “This is not a case, at least for this court, rooted in politics.”
The nearly 3-acre (1.2-hectare) property is a developer’s ideal spot and is valued at more than $67 million, according to a 2025 assessment by the Miami-Dade County property appraiser. One real estate expert wagered that the parcel — one of the last undeveloped lots on an iconic stretch of palm tree-lined Biscayne Boulevard — could sell for hundreds of millions of dollars more.
Marvin Dunn, an activist and chronicler of local Black history, filed a lawsuit this month in a Miami-Dade County court against the Board of Trustees for Miami Dade College, a state-run school that owned the property. He alleged that the Board violated Florida’s Government in the Sunshine law by not providing sufficient notice for its special meeting on Sept. 23, when it voted to give up the land.
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Material from the Associated Press was used in this report with permission.
References
- ^ Miami-Dade College (www.mdc.edu)
- ^ a temporary block (apnews.com)
- ^ library (apnews.com)