Since its first survey in 1877, Egmont Key has lost more than half of its land mass. While some worry that losing the island would be an incalculable loss to Gulf Coast Florida’s cultural heritage and ecological resources, others believe the best way to manage the island is to let nature run its course.
In the 1800s, the U.S. Army used Egmont Key to imprison Seminole captives, and historians have described conditions on the island as a concentration camp. Over the last decade, the Seminole Tribe of Florida has launched a robust investigation into this period of Seminole removal to piece together and better understand this little-known chapter.
As people across the nation celebrate Indigenous People's Day, the Seminole Tribe of Florida encourages people to recognize and honor their local history.