Mission Statement
The Real Estate Department’s mission is to enhance Tribal Members’ lives by providing trusted, knowledgeable and respectful guidance on real estate policies and practices, ranging from homeownership, credit, and financing, to homesites, business leases and commercial property management.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) administers most tribal real estate interests as part of the federal government’s trust responsibilities, in 1985 the Seminole Tribe of Florida assumed control of such matters under a self-determination contract funded by the BIA (Public Law 93-638, as amended).
The Tribe currently has ownership interests in many acres of land, including trust and non-trust land, distributed across six reservations and twelve Florida counties. The Tribe regulates, controls and enforces the occupancy and/or use of its lands through ordinances, policies, procedures, and regulations established by federal law and the Tribal Council.
TRUST - The Tribal Council adopted a Land Use Ordinance in 1991 establishing policies, procedures and regulations for all land use activity on Tribal trust land. In addition to policies, procedures and regulations, the ordinance established a Development Review Committee and a Land Use Commission for the review of all applications for Tribal approval of permits, leases, and other grants of authority for the use or occupancy of Tribal land.
The Land Use Commission is comprised of eight Tribal Members appointed by the Tribal Council for two-year terms. The duties of the Land Use Commission are to review all submissions and to approve, approve with conditions, or to disapprove said applications for recommendation to the Tribal Council. The right to give final Tribal approval of all leases, permits, and other grants of authority, including appeals, are vested exclusively in the Tribal Council.
Pursuant to the ordinance, every person, or entity who intends to use or occupy tribal land must first obtain a permit, lease, or other formal authorization. The process begins with completion of an application available through the Real Estate Department that has responsibility for the progress of these applications through the process concluding with the ultimate submittal through the Land Use Commission and presentation before the Tribal Council.
Currently, there are more than 1,337 leases, permits and other formal authorizations for various purposes including home site and commercial purposes on Tribal trust properties.
NON-TRUST - The Real Estate Department manages 86 fee owned properties. This management includes leasing, coordination with local governmental agencies, addressing property maintenance needs, and other issues typically addressed by owners of fee property.
The following Real Estate team members are available to serve you:
- Aisha Jones – Property Manager
- Anabel Miranda – BC/IM Real Estate Loan Counselor
- Cassandre Michel – Quality Assurance & Compliance Manager
- Charmaine Westberry – TW Real Estate Credit Counseling Manager
- Chelsea Grozier – Land Use Coordinator
- Janet Sandrell – BR/FP/TPA/LLK Real Estate Loan Counselor
- Kim Scali – TW Real Estate Document Coordinator
- Lissa Karcich – Land Use Coordinator
- Natasha Sewnarine - Real Estate Land Use Coordinator
- Patricia de Leon - TW Real Estate Loan Servicing Lead
- Shikahra Pugh – HWD Real Estate Loan Counselor
- Wendy Larson – TW Real Estate Loan Manager