Florida Casino Takes in Hurricane Ian Evacuees, Changes Policies for Families
A FL cassino on the eastern position of the Sunshine State played a vital role inward the evacuation of the state’s Gulf Coast during Hurricane Ian.
The Miccosukee Casino & Resort is located in Miami-Dade County inward the City of Dame Rebecca West Miami. The tribal cassino is owned and operated by the Miccosukee Tribe, single of sextuplet federally recognized tribes inward Florida.
Hurricane Ian was a violent weather condition scheme that made landfall nigh Fort Myers Beach as a Category 4 hurricane on Sept 28. The hurricane, the fifth-strongest hurricane on record to pee landfall inwards the contiguous United States, caused catastrophic equipment casualty crossways often of southwestern United States Everglade State from Naples upward northerly past times Ft. Myers on the Gulf Coast.
The Miccosukee Casino & Resort, which offers more than 2,000 one-armed bandit machines and electronic tabularize games, welcomed many Hurricane Ian evacuees during cobbler's last week’s storm. Along with the property’s to a greater extent than 250 hotel guestrooms, many evacuees brought their RVs and overnight campers to the gambling casino parking lot.
Age Requirement Lifted
The Miccosukee Casino & Resort is typically clear only to people aged 18 and over. But as millions of southwestern United States Floridians sought-after(a) safe earth amid Ian, the tribal casino did forth with the age restriction.
Given the uttermost(a) impact of Hurricane Ian on the state of Everglade State and our surrounding counties, Miccosukee Casino & Resort is extending receive to guests of all ages to our resort hotel and readiness until further notice,” a tribal financial statement explained.
Many Southwest Florida residents traveled due east across Interstate 75, aka “Alligator Alley,” and US Route 41, aka the Tamiami Trail. Both highways cut across the Big Cyprus National Preserve, a 730,000-acre swamp that borders the Everglades National Park.
Upon exiting the keep via US 41, travelers came upon the Miccosukee Casino & Resort before any other business. The holiday resort has sizeable parking, the paved lots measuring a combined 17 acres — plenitude of blank for evacuees.
Sanibel Island occupant Ping River Hu and her II children ages 4 and 7 were among the evacuees who found shelter at the tribal casino.
“The most of import thing is we’re safe,” Hu told USA Today.
Hu added that the gambling casino has been most accommodating to her II youth girls, who she says have got matte up similar they’re on a sail with the indoor puddle and nonstop, round-the-clock activities that a casino offers.
‘Mommy, we’re sledding to stick here forever, right?'” Hu said her daughters asked.
The gambling casino has welcomed older guests, too.
“I sense real blest having found this refuge,” said Marco Island occupier Kathleen Tuttle, 72. Hurricane Ian was her first of all hurricane evacuation since her hubby died inwards 2019.
Seminole Casino Reopens
The Seminole Tribe of FL maintains the exclusive rights to run one-armed bandit machines crossways Everglade State out of doors of Miami-Dade and Broward counties. The tribe also has a monopoly on house-banked tabularise games.
The Seminoles temporarily shuttered the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa during Ian, but have since reopened the facility after the hurricane turned southward and spared practically of Tampa.
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa has reopened.
We look forward to welcoming you back. pic.twitter.com/WaUD3y7xKG
— Seminole Hard John Rock Tampa (@SHRTampa) September 29, 2022
All half-dozen Seminole casinos inward Everglade State are inwards surgical operation less than a week after Hurricane Ian’s destruction.