South Florida developer Gil Dezer, who has partnered with former President Donald Trump on several luxury real estate projects, says it’s no surprise Trump chose Florida for his presidential library — and believes Miami is “ready” to carry the weight of that legacy.
“How great is it that we’re having it here? From all the different cities and states he could have chose, I mean, Florida showed him a lot of love and he’s showing it right back at us,” Dezer told Fox News Digital. “So we’re very proud to have it here in Florida, in Miami.”
Earlier this month, Florida officials approved plans for Trump’s presidential library to be built on a prime parcel in downtown Miami, next to the city’s iconic Freedom Tower.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, and the Florida Cabinet voted to transfer a 2.63-acre parcel on Biscayne Boulevard to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation, on the condition that construction begin within five years — roughly a year after the president completes his second term.
MIAMI’S NEXT LEGACY MOMENT: CITY LEADERS SAY THEY’RE READY – ARE THEY?
Trump has long maintained a presence in nearby Palm Beach and made history in Miami-Dade County during the 2024 presidential election, winning by 13 points — the first Republican to do so since 1988.
“It’s great to have his stamp in downtown Miami. It’s great to have something of the White House here in South Florida,” Dezer — the developer behind the Porsche Design Tower, Bentley Residences, Trump Towers, Trump Royale and Trump Grande — said. “It’s going to bring jobs to the area, construction, obviously, and it’s gonna make a beautiful building, whereas right now … it’s just parking lots right there.”
The Miami site is currently used as an employee parking lot for Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus and sits next to the historic Freedom Tower, which served as a resource center for Cuban refugees who fled communism in the 1960s and 1970s. The century-old building is widely seen as a symbol of the city’s vibrant immigrant heritage.
The parcel was appraised at more than $66 million, according to local reports, but could sell for upward of $360 million, The New York Times reported, citing a real estate consultant.
Dezer suggested the library’s design should blend Trump’s signature style with Miami’s terracotta influence to complement the Freedom Tower.
“I don’t think you want a stark difference with a new modern building there,” he noted, “but something that will be timeless and elegant, the way [Trump] does all his stuff … I think incorporating things about the history of the city are important.”
“I think a real library … the ones we used to remember, where you can actually take a book in and take the book out with a library card, a place to read, a quiet area, I think that’s what’s absolutely needed in the downtown area,” he added. “We had classes growing up about the Dewey Decimal System that my kids never bothered to learn today, because everything’s online. So going back to, ‘What is a library,’ and having real important books there that kids should be reading is something absolutely important for Miami.”
Dezer said he doesn’t expect major planning or market hurdles when it comes time to break ground, though he acknowledged there could be political opposition.
“It’s always the political challenges. You always have those naysayers who don’t want it,” he said. “What he has shown to us is, he’s a master fundraiser. He raised funds to build a ballroom next to the White House, which hasn’t been done in a hundred-plus years. And so he’s shown that if anybody’s gonna get this done, he’s the guy to pull it off.”
“He’s gonna push it and make sure it’s on time and on schedule, and going to be amazing,” Dezer continued. “For most presidents, these things are a legacy. They want it to be remembered for the next 200 years … He’s placing a stamp right [at the] dead center of Miami, which is going to be seen by all for many, many years to come.”
The Trump Presidential Library Foundation did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the project’s design or timeline.
Under the Presidential Libraries Act, such libraries are typically funded by private donations and later transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for long-term maintenance. Trump’s foundation has not yet released formal architectural renderings or budget details.
“We have become a world-class city in the last 10 years, 15 years, and this is just the additional cherry on the cake, if you will. Like I said, he could have chosen anywhere to go and he could’ve put it anywhere, but Miami is mature enough and ready enough for this kind of project,” Dezer reflected. “So we should be very proud that Trump chose us, and it’s gonna be here forever.”
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Fox News’ Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
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