Following the 1987 United States Supreme Court ruling in California v. Cabazon band of Mission Indians, which opened the door for Native American-owned casinos, the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians sought to build one to improve their economic resources, and in 1998 purchased a 98 acre (397,000 m sq) lot next to the Coastal Highland neighborhood at the eastern city limits of Florence as the site of their casino complex, with plans to build a 100+ room hotel, and other 'destination' amenities. At first the U.S. Department of the Interior ruled that this land was not tribal property, which would prohibit the construction of the casino, but political pressure and a subsequent court ruling overturned that decision. Then for a number of years, the state of Oregon fought the construction of a casino, until Ted Kulongoski was elected. Once in office, Governor Kulongoski dropped the lawsuit that would have prevented a casino from locating in this small coastal town. A local group, People Against a Casino Town (PACT) http://www.pactoregon.org, filed a lawsuit against the Governor on September 15, 2003 to block his approval of the casino. That lawsuit continues as of February 2007. PACT draws its support from the retirees who have settled in Florence over the last two decades. Despite this opposition, the casino opened on June 19, 2004. Due to lack of local support, the casino has had to build its own sewer and water system, and provide its own police protection. While most Oregon cities that have worked with Native American groups in the planning and construction of their casinos (e.g. Lincoln City, Oregon (http://www.pactoregon.org/facts-siletzagrmt.html) and North Bend, Oregon (http://www.pactoregon.org/facts-coquilleagrmt.html) have shared in the revenues, no such agreement currently exists between the Confederated Tribes and Florence. The Governor has also allowed the casinos in Oregon to purchase liquor from the state for about one-half the price that non-casino businesses must pay. (http://www.pactoregon.org/research-pact-olcc.html) Many of the ideas in Frank Herbert's Dune (novel)Dune series came to him during a trip to Florence to write a magazine article about a US Department of Agriculture project there. Florence is also known as the site of the exploding whale, an incident when the Oregon State Highway Division tried to remove a beached whale by dynamite - with unintended results. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence%2C_Oregon