Florida's Seminole casino empire has a new chief operating officer.

John J. James, a gaming veteran with experience both in Indian and Las Vegas casinos, was named to the key post even as the Seminoles are working their way toward a huge expension of the Florida casino operations.

James will have overall responsibility for the operations of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos in Tampa and Hollywood, as well as Seminole Casinos in Coconut Creek, Hollywood, on the Immokalee Reservation near Naples, on the Brighton Reservation northwest of Lake Okeechobee and on the Big Cypress Reservation south of Lake Okeechobee.

James, a graduate of University of Nevada Las Vegas, began his casino career at the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas and most recently was general manager of the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, CA, where he directed 5,000 employees.

The Pechanga Casino, owned by the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, has both class III slot machines and class II gaming machines, as well as table games and poker.

James earlier held positions at the Regent Las Vegas, Boomtown Las Vegas Resort, Four Queens Hotel & Casino, Gold River Casino Resort and Bally's Las Vegas, according to the Seminole Tribe.