By Kathleen Haughney
The News Service of Florida
The Senate’s point man for gaming negotiations said Wednesday that if lawmakers can reach an agreement with the Seminole Tribe, it will likely happen in the next few weeks.
Senate Regulated Industries Chair Dennis Jones said he and House Gaming Committee Chair Bill Galvano met Tuesday and decided that they do not want the decision to come down to last minute negotiations as it did in the 2009 session.
“We both kind of agreed if this issue is going to move forward we’d like to see it move forward like in the middle of the session and not let this be an end of the session decision,” Jones said. “And the reason is because of what the budget is. If it’s possible to move forward, then we would include those revenues in this year’s budget.”
Lawmakers have been meeting with the Seminole Tribe for several years trying to hammer out an agreement that would allow the tribe to exclusively offer specific games at Indian facilities as long as it gives the state a cut of the proceeds. But the negotiations have always fallen apart.
In 2007, Gov. Charlie Crist unilaterally inked a deal with the tribe, but the Florida Supreme Court struck it down, saying it required legislative approval. Then, in the final days of the 2009 legislative session, lawmakers passed a bill outlining a potential compact between the state and tribe, which Crist would negotiate.
But Crist went further in his negotiations than lawmakers wanted, so they quashed the proposal a few months ago. Now, they’re back to square one, meeting with the tribe to see if they can get a deal.
If an agreement is reached, the state stands to receive $150 million per year from the tribe, which would go toward education.
Senate Regulated Industries committee members on Wednesday held a workshop on the bill similar to the one that the Legislature passed in 2009, which is serving as the committee’s starting point for negotiations. The legislation allows banked card games such as blackjack at four tribal facilities in Broward and Hillsborough counties. It also contains several sweeteners for the pari-mutuel industry.
Lawmakers in both chambers have consistently said they want to protect the South Florida pari-mutuels. Pari-mutuel owners have said that they cannot compete with Seminole tribe under the current laws and could lose up to 2,600 jobs, which would further add to the state’s unemployment rate and budget troubles, Jones said.
If a gaming compact is reached, provisions passed last year would be tied in to final legislative approval, Jones said. These included high stakes slot machines for pari-mutuels, no limit poker, and extended hours of operation.
If, however, an agreement flops, the pari-mutuels stand to receive voter-approved bank card games, roulette and craps-style games among other benefits.
While the state has been in gaming limbo, the tribe has continue to operate under the original 2007 Crist-negotiated compact. The state has asked the tribe to stop, but it has not agreed. The U.S. Department of Interior may be the only ones who can handle that issue, Jones said. But, he said, he remains hopeful that a compact can be reached so that situation can be avoided.
“I think the more prudent thing to do is let’s get on, get a compact and at the same time, raise some revenue for the state and let the citizens continue to play the games they like to play,” he said.
The House committee on Seminole Gaming is slated to meet Thursday and hear a presentation on Vegas-style gaming, which does have some backers inn the House. The committee is also going to hear from state economists on the impact of various gaming scenarios.
