MIAMI — Activists’ fight against Miami-Dade College’s land transfer to the state for the home of The Donald J. Trump Presidential Library next to the Freedom Tower in Downtown Miami continued.
Marvin Dunn is planning to host a “teach-in” news conference at 12 p.m. on Wednesday at a community garden at 937 NW 3 Ave., in Overtown, as the president was set to speak at the America Business Forum at the Kaseya Center in Downtown Miami.
“It’s not about Donald Trump,” Dunn told Local 10 News This Week In South Florida about the Oct. 6 complaint he filed against the MDC board of trustees that approved the land transfer. “It’s about any politician getting free land from Miami Dade College -- but that college needing money and being strapped for cash and then giving away $67 million worth of land to a politician.”
In Miami-Dade County civil court, Dunn was preparing for a hearing on Nov. 24 after the attorneys fighting in support of the land transfer filed a motion to stay trial court proceedings pending the appellate court’s review.
After a two-hour hearing on Oct. 13 and an evidentiary hearing on Oct. 14, Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Mavel Ruiz granted Dunn’s emergency motion for a temporary injunction and ordered him to pay a $150,000 bond.
Court records show Mavel’s order was filed on Monday. Dunn, a Florida International University professor, argued that the state-run college had violated the Florida Sunshine Law, which required reasonable public notice of the Sept. 23 meeting.
In her order, Mavel also “declared” the MDC board of trustees’ approval on Sept. 23 of the conveyance of a 2.63-acre land to the state “void.”
“Entry of the temporary injunction will serve the public interest because it will preserve the status quo pending a final decision in this action on the merits,” Ruiz wrote, later adding, “The Court relied on the stipulated language contained in the advertised notice and nothing more.”
Madeline Pumariega told Local 10 News on Oct. 21 that the Sept. 16 public notice met the requirement.
“We posted it seven days in advance,” Pumariega told Local 10 News. “Special meetings require two to three meetings. Actually, we ran an ad in The Miami Herald.”
The public notice Pumariega referred to had announced that the trustees were going to “discuss potential real estate transactions,” but it was not specific. The meeting’s agenda reported that the board was going to vote on conveying property to a state fund.
On Sept. 23, DeSantis announced he and his cabinet were going to meet on Sept. 30 to vote on “an item to convey a 2.63-acre parcel in Miami-Dade County adjacent to the Freedom Tower for the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library.”
On Sept. 30, DeSantis announced the agenda item “to convey” the parcel had his cabinet’s “unanimous support.” The Office of the Florida Attorney General is involved in MDC’s appeal related to the MDC real estate property being used as a parking lot at 500-540 Biscayne Boulevard.
More on the Trump library
- Judge rules to temporarily stop transfer of Miami Dade College land for Trump library
- Miami Dade College president answers question about Trump presidential library meeting notice
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