A prohibition on local governments imposing certain regulations over traditional Seminole Tribe homes known as “chickees,” now more often used as shaded garden or poolside structures, was among four bills signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The measure (HB 929) prohibits counties and municipalities from preventing members of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida or the Seminole Tribe of Florida from building a chickee when the structure is in a side yard and at least 10 feet from the property line or at least 10 feet from another structure.
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State law defines a chickee as an open-sided wooden hut that has a thatched roof of palm, palmetto, or other traditional materials, and that does not incorporate any electrical, plumbing, or nonwood features.
The new law, effective July 1, expands the definition to include wooden decks, the use of nonwood fasteners, or the incorporation of electrical or plumbing features. The plumbing and electrical work requires a building permit, according to a staff analysis of the bill.
The bill also creates a first-degree misdemeanor, with fines up to $1,000 or a year in prison, for non-tribe members who try to use the exemption to construct a chickee.
