WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump’s team is already looking for a location for the presidential library, and Florida may be the best candidate.
Florida lawmakers said Monday that the state has a “high potential” to acquire its first presidential library.
After a historic archive depicting material from the president’s term, the Presidential Library is important. They need years of planning and don’t use federal funds.
There are a few things you need to know about the potential Trump Presidential Library.
Florida bill is trying to set regulations for it
A state Senate committee on Wednesday unanimously supported Sen. Jason Brodur’s bill, saying it “prevents local governments and counties from imposing frivolous obstacles to the establishment of presidential libraries in the state.”
Brodeur said other states that built the presidential library had construction roadmaps created to comply with state and local laws, and Florida needs the same. He also said that all former presidents are welcome to have presidential libraries in Florida as well as Trump.
“We expect this to be a pretty popular attraction. Now, who is even the most famous developer in the world,” he said.
Where is it?
Brodeur’s bill is because Trump’s team is considering several universities at the University of South Florida, including Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University, as potential locations for presidential libraries.
The secretary of the FAU president’s office said he had not heard of the presidential library’s plans and declined to comment further. FAU and FIU spokesman said the White House press offices did not immediately respond to messages about possible plans for the Presidential Library.
Traditionally, such libraries are built in the states in which the president was born or raised. But Trump was born in New York and voted against him in three consecutive presidential elections, becoming the first former president to be convicted of a felony last year.
Trump currently lives primarily in Florida, and he meets his administration along with politicians, Sunshine State politicians and others.
The heart of the presidential library
Democrats raised concerns during a committee hearing about whether local residents will bear the costs of building the library. Brodeur said all costs to build a library, including planning costs, would fall to the president and library archives.
In December, ABC News agreed to pay $15 million to the Presidential Library to resolve the defamation lawsuit. In the agreement, ABC News described the payment as a “charitable donation” to an escrow account managed by Trump’s lawyers.
This is just a small part of the overall cost of building a library. For example, former President Barack Obama’s library in Chicago was estimated to cost $830 million in 2021.
What is the home of the Trump Presidential Library?
Little is known about what the Trump Presidential Library has, but these library materials usually contain documents, artifacts, or items that are important to the president’s administration.
Earlier this month, the Department of Justice returned a box that comes from a search of his Mar-a-Lago home in 2022 from his FBI search for his Mar-a-Lago home for classified documents. Trump said in his social post of truth that these boxes were sent to Florida, where they “will one day become part of the Trump Presidential Library.”
