The Nation - News from Oct. 30, 1987

Representatives of the state of Florida and the Seminole Indian tribe signed an agreement ending several long-standing land disputes. The Seminoles agreed to deed 15,000 acres to the state and drop claims to an additional 5 million acres--all in southwest Florida--in exchange for a $4.5-million cash settlement. The claims stem from an 1839 treaty that was never ratified, or rejected, by Congress. The tribe agreed also to sell the state 4,470 acres in a key part of the Everglades restoration project and a haven for the endangered Florida panther. Gov. Bob Martinez gave Seminole Tribal Council Vice Chairman Fred Smith a $2.3-million check for that property.