Florida Senate bill would allow dog tracks to halt live races

TALLAHASSEE — Comprehensive gambling reform seems to have gone bust in the Florida Legislature.

The part of the state’s gambling agreement with the Seminole Tribe that allows it to offer blackjack will end in July, so the Florida Senate is prepared to grant a oneyear extension.

The extension bill was proposed by the Senate’s Regulated Industries Committee, but that committee’s chairman, state Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, voted against his own bill after four amendments by Democrats and some Republicans put the bill in line with a similar one in the House.

Despite losing Bradley’s support, the bill passed the committee, 7-5. The four amendments to the bill would: Require injuries to racing dogs to be reported within a week of the injury.

Allow dog tracks to halt live races, essentially turning them into casinos.

Allow horse tracks to do the same, if a dog track pulls the trigger first.

Allow slot machines at dog tracks in Palm Beach and Lee counties that do not currently have them.

The amendments to allow dog tracks to halt live races and require injury reporting were filed by Sen. Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach. Sachs cited the fact that dog tracks, with a plummeting fan base, have been losing money as a reason to allow them to end live races.

“We’re the third-largest gaming state in the country, but we have a contract with a sovereign nation, the Seminole Tribe,” Sachs said. “You need more time [to negotiate with the tribe], we’ll give you more time.”

The House’s Regulatory Affairs Committee meets today to discuss similar legislation, which is a pared-down version of a massive gambling bill offered by the House Majority Leader, Rep. Dana Young, RTampa. Her original bill would have paved the way for destination-resort casinos, but the new version largely mirrors the Senate’s extension bill with all its amendments.