by Liv Caputo
A new bill removing obstacles that might block President Donald Trump from erecting Florida’s first presidential library flew through its first hurdle Tuesday morning.
Hoping to signal to Florida’s first President that the Sunshine State is ready for the esteemed landmark, state Sen. Jason Brodeur, a Republican from Lake Mary, filed SB 118 to ban local governments from restricting the construction or operation of a future presidential library.
“As the home to the 45th and 47th president of the United States, there’s a high likelihood that President Trump will select Florida to be the site of his presidential library,” Brodeur said in the Community Affairs committee meeting, the first of two stops scheduled for SB 118.
“We should roll out the welcome mat and offer the President maximum flexibility to construct this historic landmark here in Florida,” added the President Pro Tempore.
The bill would preempt to the state all regulation of presidential libraries constructed within Florida—which is currently zero because Trump is the first to call Florida his home. This is done by outlawing local governments from enacting, enforcing, or passing any measure that would govern or dictate these libraries.
Though Trump has yet to comment on presidential library plans, it’s more likely that he would choose Florida over his previous home state, New York, considering his Florida-heavy administration and the Sunshine State’s overwhelming support during the 2024 election.
Presidential libraries, which honor a president’s legacy, are not built for every president. There are currently 13 libraries across 10 states honoring former presidents including six Democrats and seven Republicans. Texas is home to libraries for Lyndon B. Johnson and both George H.W. and George W. Bush. California also hosts multiple libraries, for Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon.
The other libraries commemorate John F. Kennedy in Massachusetts, Franklin D. Roosevelt in New York, Jimmy Carter in Georgia, Gerald Ford in Michigan, Herbert Hoover in Iowa, Harry Truman in Missouri, Bill Clinton in Arkansas, and Dwight Eisenhower in Kansas.
Without question or debate, SB 118 was unanimously approved. During the regular session, beginning March 4, it will head to the Rules Committee and then, if passed, to the Senate Floor. Its companion bill in the House has yet to see committee.
