Sponsors (2)
The bill secures tribal access and accelerates flood protections for the Miccosukee community while clarifying boundaries and increasing transparency, but it may limit some public uses, constrain nearby landowners, and impose modest costs and timing risks for governments and taxpayers.
Miccosukee Tribal members and nearby residents will get flood-protection measures and structural protections that reduce property damage and disruption, with a clear 2-year deadline to deliver them.
The Miccosukee Tribe and local residents gain formal inclusion of Osceola Camp in the Tribe's reserved area, protecting tribal access, use, and cultural ties to that portion of Everglades National Park.
The requirement to consult the Tribe in planning protective measures gives the Tribe a formal role in project design, improving use of local and cultural knowledge and likely producing more appropriate protections.
Nearby residents and the general public may face reduced public recreational access or changes in permitted uses in the newly incorporated portion of Everglades National Park.
Adjacent landowners could see restrictions on development or permitting options, which may limit property use and potentially affect property values.
Implementing the flood protections will impose federal costs that may increase government spending or require reallocations of Interior Department funds, with costs ultimately borne by taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Adds a parcel to the Miccosukee Reserved Area (per a July 2023 map), requires map filings, and directs DOI to protect structures there from flooding within two years.
Official title: Amend the Miccosukee Reserved Area Act to authorize the expansion of the Miccosukee Reserved Area and to carry out activities to protect structures within the Osceola Camp from flooding, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 20, 2025 by Richard Lynn Scott · Last progress February 20, 2025
Adds a defined parcel of Everglades National Park to the Miccosukee Reserved Area by incorporating a July 2023 map into the statutory boundary, requires public filing and local filing of that map, and directs the Secretary of the Interior (working with the Tribe) to take actions to protect structures in the newly added area from flooding within two years of enactment. The bill amends the statutory definition of the reserved area and creates a clear timeline for federal action to reduce flood risk to structures on that parcel.