 |
         |
      |
| Volume XXIII Number 5 | April 5, 2002 |
Council Meeting:
Ft. Pierce Residents Will Get Houses
By Elrod BowersHOLLYWOOD - The Mar. 11 Council meeting got off to a fast start when Secretary-Treasurer Priscilla Sayen read the Tribal Council’s response to the petition submitted by suspended chairman James E. Billie.
In the letter, the Council said the petition was "untimely and must be rejected" according to an ordinance passed in August 2001 which states that petitions must be submitted within 21 days of the relevant resolution. The letter stated that Billie’s petition had been filed nearly five months after the deadline.
Alex Tommie, of Ft. Pierce, rose to Billie’s defense but the discussion quickly shifted from Billie to the issue of housing for Ft. Pierce residents. Tommie said that more had been done before Billie was suspended.
According to Tommie, "It has been seven years and we have not had any homes."
Later in the meeting, Housing Director Joel Frank, Sr. gave a status report on the Ft. Pierce property, also known as Hawk’s Landing. According to Frank, "for Ft. Pierce, the problem has always been water and sewer."
Frank said that the project could not move forward because of the water and sewer issue and noted that the Legal Department was moving very quickly to resolve the situation.
Ross Holzman of the Legal Department confirmed that the St. Lucie County officials have agreed to work with the Tribe on the water and sewer issues.
According to Hollywood Councilman Max Osceola, Jr., water and sewer were just the latest setbacks for the long-awaited project.
"This was after we had the fight with the [Department of Transportation] about ingress and egress, so it’s not that we haven’t been doing anything," said Osceola, "We’ve been working on it, dealing with other governmental entities, all that white tape.
"Now, it’s finally coming in to where we can hook up the water and sewer and build the houses."
The Council also:
*Approved a five year lease on the St. Thomas Ranch property for the Seminole Tribe of Florida Board Cattle Company.
*Approved an agreement to purchase Class II bingo player terminals from the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma Business Development Authority. The contract is to buy equipment and pay an annual license fee.
*Approved a Revised Scope of Work and Organizational Plan for the Seminole Tribal Housing Department. All contractors will now be handled by the Gulf Development Corporation. Housing Director Joel Frank, Sr. said that he and Executive Administrative Officer Kenneth Fields were planning to meet with Gulf Development to go over the construction schedule for approved projects.
| Home · History · Culture · Tourism & Enterprises · Government · Services · Employment |
Copyright © MMIV Seminole Tribe of Florida
6300 Stirling Road
Hollywood, Florida 33024
Phone: (800) 683-7800
URL:
All questions/comments: tribune@semtribe.com
Webmaster: webadmin@semtribe.com
Web site maintained by Seminole Tribe of Florida