Column: Seminoles don't know where $5.6M went

Tuesday, November 9, 2004  

"There's gall. There's chutzpah. And then there's the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Words fail to describe the stunt pulled by Seminole leaders in this latest election. Sleazy, slick, shameless. Pick one. They all fit.

The Seminoles poured $5.6 million into an unsuccessful stealth war against Amendment 4, the initiative to bring taxed and regulated slot machines to seven South Florida racetracks.

Exploiting a finance-law loophole, the tribe didn't have to reveal its involvement until after Election Day. Even many of the tribe's 3,050 members had no idea the five-man Tribal Council funded the campaign.

"There's going to be a lot of tribal members p----- off about this," said Elton Carl Baxley, who used to serve on the tribe's board of directors. "They never brought it to the community."

The effort was understandable, considering Indian tribes don't want to lose their monopoly on land-based casino-style gambling in Florida. But the way the Seminoles fought the amendment was the height of hypocrisy."

Get the Story:
Michael Mayo: Will the anti-gambling Seminoles shut their casinos? (The South Florida Sun-Sentinel 11/7)