Palm Beach Post reported that the House broke the gambling plan impasse on Wednesday after it decided to offer a compromise with Senate leaders to get the deal done before the legislative session adjourns next week.
House and Senate negotiators met in the morning to get an omnibus gambling bill for 2017 done. Sen. Bill Galvano, the Senate’s chief negotiator on gambling issues, said the House made what he described a "substantial offer” as part of a compromise to move the gambling deal forward.
The offer includes authorizing decoupling for dog and horse tracks if county voters OK it in a local referendum. Under Florida’s law, dog and horse tracks are required to run live races if they wish to offer other gambling such as cardrooms. Getting rid of that requirement is known as decoupling.
Legislators also tackled the issue on a new facility with slots and a cardroom in Miami-Dade County. Senators wanted a total of two new gambling facilities in Broward and/or Miami-Dada counties.
To move things forward, the House offers that they will agree with the construction of the new facility provided that it will be at least five miles away from an existing pari-mutuel facility and would have to purchase at least one active pari-mutuel permit and give it back to the state.
The casino can also have a 1,500 slot machines and a card room. There are two possible site where these new facilities will be constructed if the deal passes the Congress.
Malaysia-listed Genting BHD is eyeing to build a full casino and resort on the former bayfront site of the Miami Herald building. The other area would be the iconic Fontainebleau Miami Beach.
In terms of taxes, the House agreed to slash the current 35 % tax rate on slot machines at "racinos” in Miami-Dade and Broward counties as long as the facilities reduce the maximum number of machines.
The House also agrees that Seminoles may
offer daily fantasy sports play if the state legalizes it, but the Seminoles
would have to agree it doesn’t violate any exclusive rights to gambling they
enjoy. "We know that time is running out, so we wanted to make a serious and
substantial offer to the Senate,” Galvano’s House counterpart, Rep. Jose Felix
Diaz, said.
Source: GMB / Palmbeachpost.com
