Skeptical of ubiquitously advertised slot machine promises, Roy Williams plans to vote against the March 8 referendum on whether Las Vegas-style slot machines should become a recreational activity at places such as Calder Race Course, a few blocks east of his north Miami Gardens home.
''If they do what they're supposed to, I'm all for it,'' Williams, a retired military heavy equipment operator, said about the proposed allocation of revenue. ``If not, I'm against it.''
Under the deal proposed by members of the gaming industry group Yes for Better Schools and Jobs, the racetracks-cum-casinos would pay 33 percent of their slots revenue in taxes for schools and local governments. In Miami Gardens, the Calder Race Course, 21001 NW 27th Ave., will give the city 1.7 percent of the track's gross profits on slot machines, which would amount to more than $2 million a year.
City Manager Danny Crew has said some of the gambling-generated money will most likely go to help build Miami Gardens' reserve funds, as well as to parks and police. Crew proposed the Calder-Miami Gardens agreement -- contingent on an affirmative vote on the ballot initiative -- which the council approved unanimously last month.
The City Council won't decide how the money would be used until the outcome of the slot-machine question is known, Crew said.
Still, some Miami Gardens residents expressed concern over increased crime and traffic that the slot machines could bring to their neighborhoods. The president of Calder Race Course said his business would do what's necessary to keep residents safe and traffic to a minimum.
One Miami Gardens resident said he was doubtful about the advertised promises of slots creating jobs.
''The slots may be great, but I don't see many people benefiting from them,'' said Bill Isley, a Miami Gardens resident who holds meetings for the UP-PAC community group. ``We always say jobs, jobs, and jobs never materialize for people -- especially those who need them.''
Kenneth Dunn, president of Calder Race Course, said a yes vote on the referendum will be certain to bring in jobs -- much more so than if the vote doesn't pass.
The jobs will range from lawn maintenance to accounting positions, from chefs to cocktail waitresses. Dunn estimates that each slot machine could create one job, and many of them, he said, will be full-time. Efforts will be made to ensure qualified area residents are hired. Details on the number and type of slot machines will be decided by the Florida Legislature should the measure pass.
''A good number of those jobs will be full-time jobs,'' Dunn said. ``We will be sensitive [in our hiring practices] as we have been in the past.''
The other concern among some residents is the threat of increased crime.
''I'm totally against it,'' Dorothy Smith, president of Brentwood Citizen's Crime Watch, said by telephone. ``We want a family-type atmosphere and that won't be a family-type atmosphere, with slot machines and gambling.''
Police Maj. Donald Rifkin, commander of the Miami Gardens Carol City District, said he didn't expect a spike in crime should voters decide they want the slot machines.
''If we receive the additional funds from the slot machines, some of it could be used to increase the funds at the Miami-Dade police station here, or could fund overtime initiatives,'' Rifkin said, adding that Calder was not a particularly high-crime area.
After the North Miami-Dade area became incorporated, overtime pay for the police officers got cut. Currently, the Miami Gardens district receives $300,000, compared to $600,000 in other county districts.
Dunn said he would do whatever is necessary to protect customers and their property, and make sure traffic flows smoothly.
To be sure, some residents support the slot machines' arrival.
For Yvonne McBride, a retiree and casual gambler, Calder Race Course' slot machines would spare her a drive to Broward for a little fun. ''You know, it's recreation and it'll probably bring in some money to the city,'' McBride said from the front porch of her north Miami Gardens home, pointing east to the Dolphins Stadium.
Traffic, crime, the common complaints of gambling's presence, didn't concern her.
''We got a lot of traffic anyways -- especially during football season,'' McBride said. ``You know, people are going to try to rob you anyways.''