Published: September 1, 2026 at 1:59 PM
Updated: September 1, 2026 at 7:25 PM
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians opened a new service plaza with a gas station, food court, and store on Tuesday in western Miami-Dade County.
The plaza is off the Tamiami Trail at 36340 SW 8th St., west of the Miccosukee Casino & Resort and east of the Miccosukee Indian Village.
The service plaza also has some educational elements on exhibit, including a large taxidermied alligator that used to roam freely in the deep Florida Everglades.
“I think it’s important for people to know about the tribe because we are the stewards of the Everglades. It’s actually our constitutional duty to protect this land, but we can’t do it alone,” said William J. Osceola, a tribal leader known as “Popeye.”
Osceola, a former Miccosukee Indian School teacher, serves as the secretary of the tribe’s business council, which oversees resource development.
“We invite visitors to come visit us and learn about us … and see how they can protect this land, which is also theirs,” Osceola, 37, said.
The tribe also has a service plaza in Broward County, off Alligator Alley at Exit 49. For more information, visit this page.
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Gabrielle Arzola
Andrea Torres