This is one gamble that Broward and Miami-Dade counties should pass up. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board strongly urges voters on March 8 to VOTE NO on pari-mutuel slot machines.
When it appeared on the ballot last fall as Constitutional Amendment 4, the proposal to allow voters to decide whether to permit slot machines at seven South Florida pari-mutuel sites had common sense and economic appeal behind it.
Casino gambling already exists at several unlicensed, untaxed Seminole and Miccosukee tribal casinos. Why shouldn't Broward and Miami-Dade voters have the right to decide whether slot machines should be permitted at a limited number of horse and dog tracks as well as jai-alai frontons? Why not let voters decide whether taxes from those slot machines, as proposed, should be earmarked to "supplement" public school budgets?
It seemed a reasonable and sensible question to place before the voters. That's why last November the Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board, which has a long history of opposing casino and other gambling initiatives, gave a green light to Amendment 4.
Many voters, especially in the two South Florida counties, agreed. Amendment 4 won a statewide majority largely based on the margins of victory in Southeast Florida.
Regrettably, the subsequent campaign for slot machines, largely led by the group Floridians for a Level Playing Field, has been a flop, raising doubts about motives and objectives with every misstep. It has been a textbook case of how to botch a good idea, turning off supporters and angering Florida lawmakers in the process.
These wounds have been self-inflicted. It was the slots mean machine that chose to engage in brinksmanship politics with Tallahassee. It was the pro-gambling side that staged a job fair that seemed more like a get-out-the-vote effort. And it was the gambling team that spread money to municipalities while leaving the Broward and Miami-Dade school districts on the sidelines.
In the meantime, the central message, that gambling is here anyway and that it's reasonable to expand it to help schools, has been lost. Considering the sizable majorities in the two counties that supported Amendment 4, the referendums should have been a public relations slam-dunk.
Instead, in a still inexplicable rush to judgment, supporters pushed for the March 8 referendums in Broward and Miami-Dade. Tuesday's vote, as gambling advocates were told over and over, is ill-advised because it forces voters to make a choice before the Legislature has weighed in on the matter.
Add to that the distasteful campaign practices, such as "buying" support by cutting multimillion-dollar deals with cities and counties while leaving the school boards on the sidelines, or organizing a job fair that offered jobs that don't exist yet while urging those folks to vote for slot machines.
The poor judgment behind those errors pales compared to the bonehead decision to treat Florida's 160 lawmakers like chintzy two-bit players at a high-roller table.
Amendment 4 called on Tallahassee to write the "enabling" legislation to implement crucial fine-print details such as operating hours, number of machines and taxation. It's also up to Tallahassee to determine how taxes are divvied up to Sunshine State school districts to "supplement" education.
Forcing the voters to go first with a blind vote on Tuesday raised uncertainty where there needn't be, and angered state lawmakers who must be decision-making partners, not afterthoughts. The more support pro-gambling forces marshal in Tallahassee, the better the odds that lawmakers would use those funds to truly supplement education budgets, not replace cutbacks.
Gambling advocates said they needed the early referendums to send Tallahassee a strong message. Oh, it's pretty clear that a strong message has been received, and how. The governor, the House speaker and the House majority leader are all out campaigning against the referendums, as are the Broward County mayor and School Board chairwoman.
Even if voters approve pari-mutuel slot machines, what fate awaits the legislation the next day when lawmakers get down to business? For all we know, dollars collected from slot machine taxes could end up funding a little red schoolhouse in Siberia.
Yes, Gov. Jeb Bush and a host of Republican lawmakers philosophically oppose gambling. Pro-slots advocates were right to fear Tallahassee might drag its feet on enabling legislation, just as they've dragged their feet on other constitutional amendments. They were right to expect a stubborn uphill fight even after winning on Nov. 2.
Still, the pari-mutuels were unwise to choose an "in-your-face" strategy from the get-go. They should have given quiet, patient diplomacy a chance before turning to arm-twisting with referendums scheduled on the very day the Legislature convenes.
Their strategy has backfired. Gambling advocates have made lots of very important enemies in South Florida and Tallahassee.
It makes no sense for Broward and Miami-Dade voters to join in on posse politics. Especially since they don't even have the crucial details necessary to make informed choices.