Northeast District rangers were notified around 9:20 a.m. on March 19th that Chief Cecille Osceola was at the Shark Valley entrance with a large front-end loader and that he’d told an interpretive ranger there that he intended to start building a home in Shark Valley by 11 a.m. Rangers Kevin Donnell, Brien Chartier and district ranger Rick Roberts responded along with two Miccosukee tribal police officers. When they contacted Osceola, he asked them to read copies of an 11-page document that he provided. The document, dating back to 1960, referenced actions by the state of Florida granting the Seminole and Miccosukee tribes legal rights to use and occupy certain lands in Dade and Broward Counties. Osceola said that this document would answer any questions and would justify his right to construct a home within the park. He claimed to be an independent Native American and is not a member of either the Miccosukee or Seminole tribes, both of which have reservations in South Florida. Roberts and Donnell read the document and spoke with Osceola, who at first was very determined to proceed and was uninterested in speaking with anyone. It appeared that he was just informing them of his intentions before he began construction activities in the park. Osceola finally agreed to meet with park superintendent Dan Kimball, who was contacted in Homestead. Kimball immediately drove to Shark Valley and met with Osceola. Following a long and at times emotional discussion, Kimball got Osceola to accept his proposal that he would personally look into the issues raised by Osceola and would meet with him in ten days to discuss alternative housing options. The meeting was finally set for March 31st. Osceola then drove the front-end loader out of the park and left the area.
