Along the stretch of the northwestern shore of Lake Okeechobee, between Lakeport and the Kissammee River, is the Brighton Seminole Indian Reservation, a 36,000-acre reservation that is home to around 600 members of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The tribal office is located in the main town on the reservation, which also has schools and a casino. The Florida Seminoles proudly claim to be the only tribe that never signed a peace treaty with the federal government. Descendants of the 300 or so who fought successfully against forced relocation to Oklahoma in the 1800s remained in the Everglades, and make a living by ranching, and catering to tourism. There are now almost 3,000 tribal members, and six reservations in Florida: two large ones in the Everglades, the Big Cyprus Reservation and this one, and four smaller reservations. The tribe is centered in Hollywood, Florida, and bought the Hard Rock Cafe franchise in 2007, with its 74 locations (including a casino resort in Las Vegas).
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