The Miccosukee Resort & Gaming in Miami-Dade County, Florida, finally closed on March 23 because of coronavirus concerns. It was the last casino in South Florida to close, and had resisted calls for its closure, first because it was practicing extra safety measures, and also because, as a sovereign nation, it was under no legal obligation to close.
In a statement, the Miccosukee Tribe acknowledged it was “not considered an essential business establishment in the eyes of the government,” but “considered the finances of our staff as essential and wanted to keep our doors open for as long as possible.”
Finally it concluded it was “best to encourage individuals to practice social distancing by removing ourselves as one of the possible destinations from their list.”
