Case Summary Citation
Seminole Tribe of Florida v. State of Florida, No. 12-62140-Civ., ___ F.Supp.2d ___, 2014 WL 4388143, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 124162 (S.D. Fla. Sept. 5, 2014).
Abstract
Seminole Tribe of Florida v. State of Florida stands as a declaration that tribal sovereignty preempts state taxation of tribal lands. Although the court framed its decision in the “‘deeply rooted’ historical ‘policy of leaving Indians free from state jurisdiction and control,” it held that Florida’s Rental and Utility Taxes imposed upon the Tribe were impermissible, based not on the rights and sovereignty of tribes, but on well-established principals of judicial deference to agency rule making.