Seminole Tribe holding back on expansion plans at one casino

Wednesday, September 5, 2012  

The Seminole Tribe of Florida isn't saying whether it will go through with plans to expand one of its casinos.

The tribe filed a land-into-trust application for a 45-acre site next to the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek. Plans call for 47,000 square-feet of retail space, 54,000 square-feet of dining space, a 2,500 seat showroom, and a 1,000-room hotel.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs just released a draft environmental impact statement for the application. But the tribe won't move forward with the project for at least two more years, a spokesperson said.

"There are a number of factors that will be involved in any decision to move ahead on some or all of the master plan," spokesperson Gary Bitner told The South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

One issue is the tribe's Class III gaming compact, which expires in 2015. Lawmakers have been considering plans to authorize non-Indian casinos.

Get the Story:
Seminole Tribe plans 1,000-room hotel in Coconut Creek (The South Florida Sun-Sentinel 9/5)

Federal Register Notice:
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Seminole Tribe of Florida Fee-to-Trust, City of Coconut Creek, Broward County, FL (August 31, 2012)