Twenty-nine proposals to lease lands on the Dania Indian Reservation in south Florida for commercial or industrial development have been received by the Seminole tribal organization since the availability of the lands for leasing was publicly announced last August, the Department of the Interior reported today.
The most recent offer, which is now being considered by the tribal organization, is for unit leasing of the entire available area comprising about 318 acres. Under this proposal the Tribe would receive a guaranteed minimum annual rental of $150,000 or 12 percent of the gross receipts from sub rentals, whichever is greater. The type of development contemplated includes the construction of housing facilities of a permanent nature together with a golf course, a motel, and other related facilities.
All of the other 28 proposals received earlier were for leasing of smaller parcels.
The acreage being offered is located in a rapidly growing section of Florida immediately west of Dania, and is bisected by four-lane State Highway No.7 with about a mile and a quarter of frontage directly on the highway. It includes all lands of the 475-acre Dania Reservation apart from acreage which has been reserved for Indian home sites and for ceremonial and administrative purposes.
Since the lands are held in trust by the Federal Government for the Indians, they can be leased only with the approval of the Department of the Interior. Under existing law, leases can be made for 25 years with a possibility of a 25-year renewal.
The Department feels sure that the tribal organization would welcome additional leasing proposals comparable to the one most recently received. Interested parties should write to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Inc., care of Superintendent Virgil Harrington, Box 157, Dania, Florida.
