Following a record year for Indian gaming revenue in 2006, a US$32 million revamp of the Seminole Tribe’s Coconut Creek Casino in Florida opens today in direct competition with the Isle of Capri Pompano Park expected to start operations later this month with 1500 slot machines at the harness racetrack. Future plans for Coconut Creek include a proposed development of a 44-acre site surrounding the present casino and owned by the Seminole Tribe. Although this could improve the local economy, the plans have not met approval locally and a lawsuit has now been filed against the project.

The root of the opposition from the city of Coconut Creek and the county of Broward appears to be the fact that the tribe wants the land declared as sovereign by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The application, if successful, would mean that neither the city nor the county would benefit financially from the development, nor would they have any say over proceedings. Any decision on the issue by the Bureau is likely to take many months. The Seminoles want to build a 24-storey 1,500-room hotel and a 2,500-seat concert venue plus restaurants, shops and office space.

The original expansion at Coconut Creek Casino was approved by the city before sovereignty became an issue. The Seminole Tribe has declared that it will still negotiate with the city and Broward County, and that the present agreement for municipal policing, fire and paramedic services could be extended to cover the new development. However, a lawsuit filed by three local residents claims that building on the 44-acre site would have a negative impact on the quality of life and that Coconut Creek city approved the development without a regional impact assessment. If the Coconut Creek Casino expansion gets the go-ahead, it would be Florida’s largest hotel casino complex. (E-04.10.07)

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