Bill that will help Trump build his presidential library in Florida goes to the governor’s desk

The Florida House has passed a measure (SB 118) that bans local governments in the state from interfering with any plans to construct a presidential library in Florida.

The motivation for the legislation comes from Florida Republicans who want to ease the pathway for a library for Donald Trump to be built in the Sunshine State.

“As the home to the 45th and 47th president of the United States, there is a high likelihood that President Trump will select Florida to be the site of his presidential library,” Central Florida Republican Jason Brodeur told the Senate Committee on Community Affairs back in February when he first introduced the measure.

“In anticipation of Florida’s first presidential library, we should roll out the welcome mat and offer the president maximum flexibility to construct this historic landmark here in Florida.”

In the House vote on Tuesday, two Democrats were dismissive.

“Please just vote on this bill. That is my debate,” said Orlando Democrat Anna Eskamani succinctly. 

The other Democrat who spoke out, Jacksonville Rep. Angie Nixon, blasted the entire notion, saying that there was “irony” in what the GOP-controlled chamber was doing.

“If we are going to support bringing this library here, we should support returning citizens all across the board, and not attack returning citizens, especially when they want to do things like vote, because we have one of the biggest returning citizens a/k/a felons in the administration right now,” she said referring to Trump being found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments in May 2024 in a New York courtroom.

Nixon’s comment about returning citizens was a reference to the 2018 constitutional amendment which legalized felons in Florida who had completed their sentence to be able to vote. However, an implementing bill in the following legislative session significantly narrowed the number of felons who can actually vote.

Not all Democrats were that critical, as five of them joined all Republicans in supporting the measure (the final vote was 89-20).

Associates of Trump have been looking  at several South Florida universities as possible locations for a presidential library, including Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University, the Associated Press reported last month.