Marcellus Osceola Jr.

Marcellus W. Osceola Jr.
7th Tribal Council Chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida
Incumbent
Assumed office January 9, 2017
Deputy	Mitchell Cypress
Preceded by	James E. Billie

Marcellus William Osceola Jr. (born in 1972) is the current and 7th Tribal Council Chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Osceola won a special election in 2016 to replace James Billie, who was ousted following a recall petition[1] and was re-elected to a full term in 2019.[2]

Osceola is the grandson of Bill Osceola, the tribe's first Tribal Council Chairman, serving from 1957 to 1967.

Osceola first ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the board of directors of the Seminole Tribe of Florida Inc., which manages the tribe's non-gaming business interests, in 2003 and was finally elected in 2009 on his third try. In 2011, he was elected as the Hollywood District representative to the Tribal Council.[3]

An entrepreneur, Osceola ran a limousine company, lawn company, and seafood company prior to becoming chairman.[3] He lives on the Hollywood Seminole Reservation.[4]

In 2019, Osceola informed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that the tribe would end annual casino payments to the state due to a long-running dispute over other gambling activities in the state.[2]

References

1. Sortal, Nick (November 1, 2016). "Marcellus Osceola wins election to head Seminole Tribe". Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
2. Gross, Samantha J.; Mahoney, Emily L. (May 14, 2019). "Seminole Tribe stops $350 million annual casino payments to state". Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
3. Bidney, Beverly (March 16, 2017). "Chairman Osceola Settles Into New Role". The Seminole Tribune. Hollywood, Florida. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
4. Sweeney, Dan (November 1, 2016). "Seminole Tribe elects new chairman". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Deerfield Beach, Florida. Retrieved May 22, 2019.