TALLAHASSEE -- A Central Florida senator has filed a proposed
constitutional amendment that would prevent Miami-Dade County voters
from deciding if they want slot machines.
But Senate President Tom Lee, a Repulican from Brandon near Tampa,
doesn't think the issue will gain much steam, especially after the
Legislature went into special session last December to implement the
slots constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2004.
While conceding the Legislature is against any expansion of gambling,
Lee said, "it's a pretty divisive issue" that will have trouble getting
heard.
"We have to spend our time where we think we have the ability to impact
the state," he said.
The constitutional amendment that passed statewide -- despite
opposition from Central Florida interests, including Disney World --
allowed Broward and Miami-Dade voters to decide if they want slots at
their local pari-mutuel facilities. In separate local elections,
Broward voters agreed but Miami-Dade voters turned it down.
TALLAHASSEE - Broward County's four parimutuel venues may each have to
dish out $1.5 million a year to neighboring cities, under a bill that
passed its first House committee Thursday.
State Rep. Ken Gottlieb, a Hollywood Democrat, sponsored the bill that
allows the state to collect up to $1,000 for each slot machine and give
the money to nearby cities.
The parimutuel facilities -- Dania Jai-Alai in Dania Beach; Gulfstream
Park in Hallandale Beach; Mardi Gras Racetrack in Hallandale Beach, and
Pompano Park in Pompano Beach -- can each have up to 1,500 slot
machines when gaming begins in a few months.
The bill passed through the House Business Regulation Committee, which
has traditionally been tough on the gaming industry. But the measure
faces an uphill climb to overcome opposition from the powerful
parimutuel lobby when it is moved to three more House committees and
the more pro-industry Senate.
The neighboring cities that will benefit from the slots-impact fee must
be within 2 ½ miles of two parimutuel venues. Those municipalities are
Aventura, Golden Beach, Pembroke Park, West Park, Hollywood and Fort
Lauderdale.
Also, the municipalities must show evidence that the slots facilities
have an impact on their crime rates, fire and medical emergencies, and
traffic.
Representatives from the cities and the gambling facilities would meet
with a neutral mediator to decide how much money should be given to
each city.
''The mediator will listen to all the evidence as to where there is an
impact,'' Gottlieb said. ``If nobody can prove any impact, the
parimutuels will get their money back.
''
Broward voters approved the controversial slot machines a year ago with
the understanding that the tax money would go to help schools
statewide. The county's four parimutuels are gearing up to start
running them by July.
Some legislators and lobbyists raised questions about the
constitutionality of the impact fees.
When lawmakers drafted the rules on slot machines last year, they
amended the state Constitution to note that any tax on slots had to go
toward public education.
''This is unconstitutional. You can't call a tax a fee and turn it into
a fee,'' said Aaron Scavron, a lobbyist for the city of Dania Beach.
``It's a tax.''
Regardless of Gottlieb's bill, the cities that house the parimutuel
venues will receive 1.7 percent of the first $250 million of
slot-machine revenues and 2.5 percent of anything more than $250
million. Broward County is set to receive 1.5 percent of the first $250
million and 2 percent of revenues above that figure.
Gottlieb, a lawyer by trade, said he and other attorneys vetted his
bill and determined that an impact fee for neighboring cities was
different from a tax and therefore followed the law.
''The provisions we made make it a completely fair bill,'' Gottlieb
said. ``It takes no money out of the education budget.''