Amendment 3 offers voters a voice on casinos

Casinos can have major impacts on a community. Research shows they affect everything from local businesses to crime rates to social indicators such as gambling addiction and bankruptcy.

These are all reasons voters should be in charge of gambling expansion decisions. A yes vote on Amendment 3 will make that happen.

Right now, politicians and lobbyists in Tallahassee can put casinos anywhere they want. A prime example is Miami Beach, a city thriving with world-class restaurants, shopping, entertainment and cultural attractions.

The leaders and residents there adamantly opposed casinos, with former Mayor Phillip Levine stating “casinos are for cities that don't have a lot going for them,” and Miami Beach “doesn't in any shape, form or imagination need casinos.”

Yet, gambling interests are active in Tallahassee trying to get a casino built in Miami Beach. They don’t care what voters think or what residents think.

Amendment 3 gives the people of Florida the final say in these decisions. This is why the big casinos, including those hoping to set up shop in Miami Beach, so strongly oppose it. And why the Mayor of Miami Beach endorses it.

We have so much vested in our state and the communities we live in. We should have a say on an issue as important as casino gambling.

I strongly recommend voting yes on Amendment 3.

Mindy Koch,