Seminole Tribal Council Under Federal Scutiny

I also found admiration in them when they went against the silliness of political correctness in sports. When the NCAA, under pressure from Native American organizations told colleges to drop their Native American symbols and nomenclature, the Seminoles told everyone to leave Florida State University alone. They stated they found no insult in either the logo or the using of the name Seminoles as the school icon.

Again, the Seminoles proved they are their own men and women, not subject to the whims or silliness or notions of others. Or perhaps they are just like us.

A recent investigation by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel has disclosed that the Seminoles might now be no better than the culture they refused to join for centuries. The newspaper’s investigation into the financial empire of the tribe reveals startling details of a system filled with questionable spending practices. The report states tribal council members have bestowed incredible sums of money on themselves to purchase luxury cars, planes, homes and cosmetic surgeries as well as doling out millions to family members. All this without any oversight save they themselves who are doing all the taking. It is reported that council members have spent $280 million dollars for personal or family expenses within the last decade all the while being in a place of trust for the entire tribe.

Now since the 1979 Florida decision to allow the tribe to open bingo parlors, the Seminole financial empire has grown into a billion dollar a year corporation of casinos throughout Florida. The Seminoles have become so affluent that they recently purchased the Hard Rock International hotel and restaurant chain for almost one billion dollars and hardly had to look for financing to close the acquisition.

Currently every member of the 3300 member tribe receives a dividend of $120,000 a year which is enough to bring one of the poorest of the Native American tribes in the mid twentieth century into one of the richest and most influential.

The questions brought up by the Sun Sentinel however show that perhaps those in charge are reaping financial and personal rewards without any controls over lavish expenditures with funds that belong to every member of the tribe.

The Seminoles, being a nation unto themselves are not under the same requirements of disclosure as other corporations but the National Indian Gaming Commission has now promised to begin an investigation of the tribal council’s expenditures and an IRS audit is believed to have already begun.

Results of the examination by the National body will be out early next year. It will be interesting to see what their investigation uncovers.

I personally would find it sad if this group of individuals who refused to assimilate into a culture not of their choosing or liking actually have done so. Have they been around us too long not to become us? It appears to be the case. We will wait on the audit to tell us if the Seminoles have surrendered their culture and become just another American corporation filled with personal greed and corruption. 

Comment by Danny Davids^(13,494) (182 days 11 hours ago.)