A month after ousting their last leader, the Seminole Tribe of Florida on Tuesday announced it had selected Marcellus W. Osceola Jr. as its new chairman.
He replacesĀ James E. Billie. TheĀ tribe’sĀ governing council removed Billie last month, citing disagreements over “policies and procedures.”Ā Osceola’s selection was Monday.
Billie actually ran for his job again, coming in second with 297 votes to Osceola’s 319 votes out of 843 cast.
The election comes as the tribe awaits the verdict in a federal trial that could determine the future of itsĀ finances.
Osceola “is a 44-year-old entrepreneur who lives on the Hollywood Seminole Reservation,” according to a press release.
“… (H)e was previously elected to serve on both the governing Tribal Council of the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the Board of Directors of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Inc., which manages most non-gaming business interests of the Tribe.”
The tribe has had its share of ups and downsĀ lately.
It “operates a business empire that began with the sale of tax-free cigarettes in the 1970s and expanded to include hotels, citrus groves, tourist attractions, and Seminole Hard Rock casinos throughout South Florida,ā according to theĀ Sun-Sentinel.
Earlier this month, the tribeĀ consolidated its control over the Hard Rock hotel and casino brand, buying out the remaining rights from the owner-operator of Las VegasāĀ Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The terms were not made public.
But the Seminoles alsoĀ are awaiting a decision by a federal judge as to whether they can keepĀ offering blackjack to theirĀ casino customers.
They say they can specifically because the state allowedĀ pari-mutuel card rooms to offerĀ designated-player games. That broke an exclusivity promise the tribe had with the state, they say.
Card games generate just underĀ 20 percent of the tribeās total gambling revenue, which isĀ up to $1 billion yearly just at the Tampa location.
And this summer, the U.S. Supreme Court let stand an appeals court ruling that the tribeĀ has to pay its utility tax ā just like everybody else. The tribe contested having to pay tax on its electric and other utility bills.
Osceola “will be formally inaugurated within the next several weeks and will serve out the remainder of the current 4-year term for the position of Chairman,” the release said. “It runs through May 2019.”
