Board Of Trustees To Hold New Meeting On Dec. 2 To Vote On Trump Library Land Transfer

In a surprising move, Miami Dade College’s District Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Tuesday morning to hold a meeting to once again decide the fate of a 2.63 acre plot of land that the state wants to use for the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library.

It will be held on Dec. 2 at Hialeah Campus, 1780 W. 49th St, Conference Room 5101 at 8 a.m.

The College’s decision, made during the BOT’s monthly meeting, comes a day after eleventh circuit court judge Mavel Ruiz scheduled an Aug. 3 start date for the lawsuit that local historian Marvin Dunn filed against the BOT.

He accused them of not following Florida’s Sunshine Law when they called a special meeting on Sept. 23 to convey the land to the state.

“Miami Dade College affirms the integrity of the original vote, held on September 23, 2025, which adhered to the Sunshine Laws outlined in Florida Statutes Chapter 286. This second special meeting will provide the community an additional opportunity to address the Board regarding the land conveyance,” the College said in a statement released after the meeting.

On Tuesday morning, the BOT decided it would be in the best interest of the College to hold a new gathering to avoid further delay of conveyance of the land and to not incur additional legal fees.

Vice Chair Roberto Alonso initiated the process of holding a new meeting after hearing an update on the legal case from MDC general counsel Javier Ley-Soto on Tuesday. 

“This lawsuit is really a gigantic PR stunt for which the taxpayers are footing the bill because this is a decision of the state government. Arguably, the state government could vote on it without the Board of Trustees taking a decision on it,” trustee Marcell Felipe said about Dunn’s lawsuit.

He later added: “I did an op-ed, I would like to reiterate everything I said in the op-ed because frankly it’s wasteful, just because somebody has become so blinded by their partisan agenda that they can’t do something that’s right for the community. I’m a little bit irked by people who try to do grandstanding on taxpayer money, do grandstanding on your own money.” 

Dunn, who posted a $150,000 bond for the lawsuit to proceed, was jubilant about the board’s decision.

“The sunshine came through. We won,” Dunn said. “They have to do this in public now. They may do the same dirty deed and give that land to Trump, but at least we’re watching this time.”

That same day, a meeting notice was posted to MDC’s website with a vague agenda that said they were going to discuss potential real-estate transactions. It was not livestreamed.

On Sept. 23, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier revealed in a tweet that the Florida Cabinet would vote to convey the lot next to the Freedom Tower for the new library.

Dunn, a retired Florida International University professor, filed a lawsuit with the circuit court of the eleventh judicial circuit of Miami-Dade County, accusing the BOT of violating the Florida Sunshine Law.

Judge Ruiz blocked MDC from conveying the land to the State of Florida on Oct. 14, ruling that the notice was not sufficient enough to inform the public. 

The board then filed an appeal to the Third District Court of Appeal to review Ruiz’s ruling. 

Now, 85-year-old Dunn is waiting for his chance to speak directly to the board next week. 

“I hope to be first in line,” Dunn said. 

Click here to subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter, The Hammerhead. For news tips, contact us at mdc.thereporter@gmail.com.