Clock Ticking on Seminole Gaming Deal
May 13th, 2015 by Mike Vasilinda
The Seminole Tribe says it is exploring all of its options for card games at its Hard Rock Casinos in Florida. The Tribe’s deal runs out in July, and as Mike Vasilinda tells us lawmakers have been slow to act.
A June Special session on the budget is the last chance for lawmakers to approve a yet to be negotiated deal to keep the cards being dealt at Hard Rock Casinos across Florida. Barry Richard drafted the original deal for the tribe.
“The Tribe’s main concern is to not only preserve its legal rights but also to avoid having to fire thousands of people who are employed because of the card games” says Richard.
The Seminole deal could also be derailed by another lawsuit. Back in 2012 three counties voted to legalize slots. The state refused all o them a license. Now, a horse track in Gadsden County is challenging the states denial. If they win, it could violate the exclusivity deal with the Seminoles.
Attorney Marc Dunbar thinks otherwise, but says his case could impact the Seminole deal. “The clock is ticking. We have between now and October where they have to decide if they want to continue the exclusive black jack for the Seminole tribe. And a case like this only increases the pressure in those negotiations” says Dunbar.
And as the clock ticks, no legislative panel has been named to negotiate with the Seminoles. That increases the chances the deal with die. That doesn’t mean, though, the games will stop right away.
There is precedent to keep the games running past the expiration of the compact. Weeks after the Seminoles started the card games in 2008, the Florida Supreme Court said the first compact was illegal. The cards kept flowing, and once there was a real deal, the Seminoles sent the state a check.”
But no deal does mean the money will stop..temporarily, or permanently if the deal goes bust.
Governor Rick Scott turned negotiations with the tribe over to state lawmakers after they failed to take up a deal he had negotiated in 2014. The Seminole Tribe predicts payments to the state could reach 450 million a year by 2030.
Posted in Business, Charlie Crist, Economy, Elections, Gambling, Legislature, Rick Scott, State Budget, State News, Tourism, Voting | 
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