Seminole Brighton Bay Hotel & Casino Stages Topping Out Ceremony

New casino, hotel and entertainment complex set to open in early 2025

Link to photos and b-roll video from today's topping out ceremony

BRIGHTON SEMINOLE RESERVATION, Fla., June 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A "Topping Out" ceremony was held today at the site of the new Seminole Brighton Bay Hotel & Casino, which is scheduled to open in early 2025. 

The new resort, which will replace the existing Seminole Casino Brighton (first opened in 1980), will include a casino with a total of nearly 38,000 square feet, including space for a total of 640 slot machines and 18 tables for blackjack, craps, roulette, and other house-banked card games. Included in the totals are a smoke-free gaming space with 104 slot machines and a high-limit gaming area with 42 slot machines and four table games.

Dining options will include a 24-hour restaurant with 126 seats (EE-TO-LEE-KEE GRILL), a steak house (Josiah Steakhouse) with 62 seats and a fast-service and carry-out cafe offering a combination of items from a coffee bar (Constant Grind Bistro) and pizza kitchen (Slice). An indoor event space with 400 seats for banquet events or bingo games, or 900 seats set up as a performance hall.

In a first for any Seminole Casino, the new resort will also include a ten-lane bowling alley (Brighton Bay Bowling) of 7,044 square feet with seats for dining.

The complex will include the first hotel to be built on the Brighton Seminole Reservation. It will feature 100 guest rooms on four stories, totaling 72,000 square feet. Guest rooms will include a mix of rooms with either one king bed or two queen beds, plus three suites and a fitness center. 

The resort's new name, Seminole Brighton Bay Hotel & Casino, salutes popular sportfishing sites of nearby Lake Okeechobee, where Fisheating Bay is a little more than two miles from the new hotel and casino. Fisheating Bay and Fisheating Creek get their name from the Seminole name recorded on a military map of 1839, Thlothlopopka-Hatchee, translated as "the river where fish are eaten."

In a symbolic ceremony, construction team members hoisted the final steel beam and secured it to the top of the structure, marking a significant milestone for the project. A joint venture of contractors Suffolk and WilMen is managing the project. Suffolk is a national, innovative contractor with a large footprint in Florida and a wealth of experience managing sophisticated gaming and resort projects in the state and throughout the country. The long-standing custom, attributed to the ancient Scandinavian ritual of placing a tree on the top of a newly completed building, celebrates the construction efforts and crews that are involved with the project.

The beam itself was transported to the Seminole Casino Brighton for current team members to have the chance to sign it to share in the celebration. The onsite construction teams also had the opportunity to leave their signatures on the beam, as a proud representation of their individual efforts on the project.

"Today is an exceptional day," stated Jim Allen, CEO of Seminole Gaming and Chairman of Hard Rock International. "A vision has truly become a reality as we placed the final beam atop this new property. I thank everyone involved in this project, from the designers and engineers to the day-to-day laborers that are showing the world what the Seminole Tribe is truly about – unconquered vision, unparalleled service and unlimited future."

"Today's ceremony marks a special moment for the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the Brighton Seminole Reservation," said Marty Johns, General Manager. "We can't wait to open our doors. The new casino and hotel complex is expected to increase the number of tourists to the region, which is very important."

About Existing Seminole Casino Brighton 
Seminole Casino Brighton is a 27,000 square foot casino with over 400 slot machines and 10 live table games, including Blackjack, Three Card Poker, craps and roulette, along with high-stakes bingo action and Josiah, a full-service restaurant and lounge. Live local entertainment is featured weekly on Friday and Saturday nights. The casino also has an area for those who prefer to play slot machines in a smoke-less environment. Its warm, friendly staff and rewarding promotions are a welcome alternative to big city gaming. Seminole Casino Brighton is located just west of Lake Okeechobee on the Brighton Seminole Reservation, 17735 Reservation Road, Okeechobee, Florida, 34974. For more information, call toll-free 800-360-9875 or 863-467-9998 or visit us online at casino.hardrock.com/brighton or on www.facebook.com/seminolebrightoncasino.

About Seminole Gaming
Seminole Gaming manages six Florida casino enterprises for the Seminole Tribe of Florida, including Seminole Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos in Tampa and Hollywood, Fla. Seminole Gaming has long been recognized for its industry innovations and success. The Seminole Tribe was the first Indian Tribe in North America to open Ultimate Bingo, a high-stakes bingo hall and casino, which debuted in 1979 and became the forerunner of the Indian Gaming movement. Seminole Gaming currently holds investment grade ratings from primary investment-grade rating agencies: S&P Global Ratings (BBB-) and Fitch Ratings (BBB). Its Unity by Hard Rock™ global loyalty program rewards members for doing the things they love at Seminole Gaming casinos and participating Hard Rock Cafes, Casinos and Hotels around the world.

About Suffolk
Suffolk is a national enterprise that builds, innovates and invests. Suffolk is an end-to-end business that provides value throughout the entire project lifecycle by leveraging its core construction management services with vertical service lines that include real estate capital investment, design, self-perform construction services, technology start-up investment (Suffolk Technologies) and innovation research/development. Suffolk – America's Contractor – is a national company with more than $5.5 billion in annual revenue, 2,800 employees, and offices in Boston, Massachusetts (headquarters); New York City, New York; Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa and Estero in Florida; Dallas, Texas; Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego in California; Portland, Maine; and Herndon, Virginia. Suffolk manages some of the most complex, sophisticated projects in the country, serving clients in every major industry sector, including healthcare, life sciences, education, gaming, transportation/aviation, federal government and public work, mission critical and commercial. Suffolk is privately held and is led by founder, chairman and CEO John Fish. Suffolk is ranked #8 on ENR's list of "Top CM-at-Risk Contractors." For more information, visit www.suffolk.com and follow Suffolk on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram.

Contacts:
Marci Boswell, Marketing Manager, Seminole Casino Brighton, 863-467-9998, ext. 5651, [email protected]; Chris Dirato, Bitner Group, 917-921-9070, [email protected]

SOURCE Seminole Brighton Bay Hotel & Casino