Casinos are not the answer for South Florida

For two weeks, we have seen nightly images of unruly and unmasked crowdsbehaving badly on the streets of Miami Beach and it has given South Florida a reputation as a place where anything goes.

Imagine what will happen if we allow casino-style gambling into our community. We should not become the next Las Vegas. I don’t want it; my neighbors don’t want it; and most voters don’t want it, either.

In 2018, Floridians overwhelmingly approved Amendment 3, which gave the people “the exclusive right to decide whether to authorize casino gambling in the State of Florida.”

Now, a small group of wealthy business owners and politicians in Tallahassee is quietly working to subvert the will of the people. From private parties aboard mega yachts to backroom dealings, the efforts to bring casino gambling to our community represent politics at its worst.

Given the pandemic’s impact on local businesses, casino proponents hope we will be duped into thinking that gambling is a muchneeded economic lifeline. But this is just a myth, perpetuated by those who only want to line their pockets.

Casinos do not provide long-term income or job growth and negatively impact property values. Casinos have also been linked to higher levels of foreclosure, domestic violence, and other forms of social distress. This far outweighs any of the so-called benefits.

Is our community one where art and culture flourish, where high-tech businesses are incubated and grow, and where people enjoy a high quality of life, or are we little more than a party town?

Our community is on the brink of something great.

Let’s not let a few selfinterested financial poachers deny us that opportunity.