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Florida Casino Plans Delayed by Ruling

FLORIDA – As reported by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "In a major setback for the Shinnecocks, the federal Interior Department has declared it is not bound by a November court ruling that the nation is a federally recognized tribe.

"The opinion means the Shinnecocks would have to continue pursuing the Bureau of Indian Affairs' prolonged recognition process unless a judge orders the bureau to add the Shinnecocks to the list of federally recognized tribes. And even then, say legal experts who expected the decision, the agency is likely to ignore the order. A decision on the tribe's petition, filed in the late 1970s, would take years because the agency says it has 17 petitions to rule on before it gets to the Shinnecocks.

"Having to go through the BIA process would delay the tribe's push to build a casino in Hampton Bays.

"The agency's position was revealed in a letter written last month to Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) in response to his letter in November to Interior Secretary Gale Norton urging federal officials to disregard the judge's decision…"

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