Seminoles unveil new entertainment, shopping complex beside casino
By John Holland and SouthFlorida.com
Important: This article was last updated on September 23, 2004. Please call ahead to confirm hours, prices, dates and other information.
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Upscale dining, Latin dancing and alligator-wrestling come together in an unusual and ritzy entertainment complex the Seminole Tribe hopes will take any money you've got leftover from its casino.
Just four months after opening the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, the Seminoles unveiled their latest creation on Sept. 17 -- an $80 million, 150,000-square-foot entertainment and shopping complex tucked beside its casino. The site, dubbed Seminole Paradise, features 24 retail stores, 13 nightclubs and 11 restaurants.
'50s diner chain Johnny Rockets and Hawaiian Kona coffee distributors Bad Ass Coffee Company are the first 17 food and dining outlets slated to open at the Seminole Paradise. Other businesses are expected to open by November.
12 retail stores also opened their doors last weekend: Brats, Body Shop, Cache, Footworks, Funky Fish, Havana Shirt Company, Karma Men's Salon, Marine Treasures, Plantazia, Quicksilver, Richie's Swimwear and Sunglass Hut.
The tribe and its developer, The Cordish Company of Baltimore, estimate that 1,000 new jobs will be created by the venture, on top of the approximately 2,000 at the casino and 500-room hotel.
"This is not only for the benefit of the tribe, but it's an economic stimulus for the whole area," said Max Osceola, a member of the Seminole Tribal Council. "In our custom, you get richness not from what you accumulate, but from what you share."
The Seminoles project annual revenues of $420 million from the Hollywood Hard Rock complex, and another $25 million from the restaurants and shops.
Nearly $300 million comes from gaming, which consists of bingo, poker and slot-styled machines that operate much like bingo. Because of obstacles put up by the state, there are no craps, blackjack or roulette tables, which are staples of casinos in Atlantic City, the Bahamas and Las Vegas.
The complex, located on State Road 7 just south of Interstate 595, also includes a Seminole Museum designed to showcase the tribe's heritage and its history in South Florida and an animal habitat featuring a black bear, said Joe Weinberg, senior vice president for Cordish.
Seminole Tribe members will own five of the shops, including a motorcycle shop owned by Osceola and Renegade Barbeque operated by Cleve Baker.
"This is very exciting, and I think the whole tribe is proud of what's going on," said Paula Bowers-Sanchez, a partner in Sawgrass Blossom, featuring upscale Native American jewelry and art. Bowers-Sanchez is a Hollywood High graduate. She grew up on the reservation then attended New York University before returning to South Florida for her master's degree.
John Holland can be reached at jholland@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7909.
Just four months after opening the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, the Seminoles unveiled their latest creation on Sept. 17 -- an $80 million, 150,000-square-foot entertainment and shopping complex tucked beside its casino. The site, dubbed Seminole Paradise, features 24 retail stores, 13 nightclubs and 11 restaurants.
'50s diner chain Johnny Rockets and Hawaiian Kona coffee distributors Bad Ass Coffee Company are the first 17 food and dining outlets slated to open at the Seminole Paradise. Other businesses are expected to open by November.
12 retail stores also opened their doors last weekend: Brats, Body Shop, Cache, Footworks, Funky Fish, Havana Shirt Company, Karma Men's Salon, Marine Treasures, Plantazia, Quicksilver, Richie's Swimwear and Sunglass Hut.
The tribe and its developer, The Cordish Company of Baltimore, estimate that 1,000 new jobs will be created by the venture, on top of the approximately 2,000 at the casino and 500-room hotel.
"This is not only for the benefit of the tribe, but it's an economic stimulus for the whole area," said Max Osceola, a member of the Seminole Tribal Council. "In our custom, you get richness not from what you accumulate, but from what you share."
The Seminoles project annual revenues of $420 million from the Hollywood Hard Rock complex, and another $25 million from the restaurants and shops.
Nearly $300 million comes from gaming, which consists of bingo, poker and slot-styled machines that operate much like bingo. Because of obstacles put up by the state, there are no craps, blackjack or roulette tables, which are staples of casinos in Atlantic City, the Bahamas and Las Vegas.
The complex, located on State Road 7 just south of Interstate 595, also includes a Seminole Museum designed to showcase the tribe's heritage and its history in South Florida and an animal habitat featuring a black bear, said Joe Weinberg, senior vice president for Cordish.
Seminole Tribe members will own five of the shops, including a motorcycle shop owned by Osceola and Renegade Barbeque operated by Cleve Baker.
"This is very exciting, and I think the whole tribe is proud of what's going on," said Paula Bowers-Sanchez, a partner in Sawgrass Blossom, featuring upscale Native American jewelry and art. Bowers-Sanchez is a Hollywood High graduate. She grew up on the reservation then attended New York University before returning to South Florida for her master's degree.
John Holland can be reached at jholland@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7909.