Donald Trump offers Doral leaders a deal: preserve Blue Monster golf course forever

As he pursues a new residential complex at his Doral resort, former President Donald Trump is offering the city a chance to keep developers away from the property’s prized golf course.

Doral commissioners called a special meeting Dec. 7 to consider accepting a conservation easement from the Trump Organization for the 184-acre Blue Monster golf course.

The deal would mean tax savings for Trump while giving the city the power to keep it as open space with public access unless a future commission opts to unwind the agreement.

“They’re basically putting the Blue Monster in a trust so it can never be touched,” said Juan Carlos “J.C.” Bermudez, the city’s mayor until last month when he took a seat as a Miami-Dade commissioner in a campaign where Trump endorsed him. “The city can make sure it stays green space.”

Conservation easements are treated like donations to governments or nonprofits, providing tax deductions for the donor. Trump has used them at his various profit-making properties, including Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach County and in golf courses across the country.

Easements also are part of the case New York’s attorney general is attempting to make against Trump in a civil suit claiming he falsely inflated his net worth when securing loans and other deals. The suit claims Trump obtained easements to reduce his tax bill, then would sometimes ignore those development restrictions when assigning values to properties governed by them.

Documents on file with Miami-Dade and submitted as part of the easement don’t appear to assign a separate value for the Blue Monster course. The 18-hole course is the centerpiece of the former resort, which Trump purchased out of bankruptcy in 2012 for a reported $150 million.

The county property folio that includes the golf course and the resort has a market value of $67 million for the 2022 tax year. That generated a municipal tax bill to Doral of about $146,579. In a Dec. 7 report to the members of the City Council, Planning Director Javier Gonzalez said the easement would cost Doral that amount in lost property taxes.

Felix Lasarte, a lawyer representing Trump, disputed the figure, saying any tax breaks would only apply to the portion of the tax bill tied to the Blue Monster course. Rey Valdes, deputy city manager for Doral, also said the estimated tax loss figure in the memo wasn’t definitive.

“Whether or not they get the tax relief, that will be up to the state to determine,” he said. “That’s not the city’s call.”

As he proposes giving up development options for his resort’s high-profile golf course, Trump is awaiting city approval of the biggest expansion on the property since he purchased it 10 years ago.

At the start of 2022, his organization proposed four 20-story towers flanking the hotel and golf course, with about 2,000 luxury condominium units above commercial and retail space at street level off of Northwest 36th Street and 87th Avenue.

The proposed easement isn’t tied to the development proposal, which is undergoing a state review before going before the council for final approval. The easement is up for a vote next week.

Documents filed with Doral show grounds around the course, where a round of golf can cost $500 or more, would remain open to the public under the agreement. The Gonzalez memo said the course “will be opened to the public free of charge for enjoyment of its scenic views and wildlife on a regular basis for biking, bird-watching, and jogging over designated paths.”

The language of the easement said that access exists currently, and would be “guaranteed” on a daily basis under the agreement.

Public access would only be denied during professional golf tournaments and when the entire course is closed for maintenance, according to the easement document.

Even so, the resort can impose rules on public access, including a cap on people entering the property at any one time. The Trump Organization also agreed to preserve and maintain wildlife habitat on the property.

It states the arrangement would make the Blue Monster the largest privately protected land area allowing public access in Miami-Dade County.

Because an easement is considered a charitable contribution, its value can be used to reduce federal income taxes. Records filed with the city show Trump remains the owner of the resort through various entities, and the proposed easement document has only one signature line, for the former president.

“This is a legacy he’s leaving the city of Doral,” Lasarte said.

This story was originally published December 2, 2022 at 5:25 PM.