In the heat of Florida politics, gambling's the latest hot ticket as State Senator Blaise Ingoglia throws his cards on the table with a push for expansion. Freshly filed bill SB 1054 seeks to loosen the reins on certain gambling regulations as Miami—and possibly its famed beaches—braces for the impact. According to Local 10, the bill would scrap a requirement for permit holders to prove they've not been previously denied or stripped down at the polls when they come back hat in hand for renewal with the Florida Gaming Control Commission.
The likes of Citrus, Hernando, and Sumter counties, and a northern wedge of Pasco County—Ingoglia isn't bluffing with his legislative gamble. The proposed law would also give the nod to greyhound racing permit holders to pull up stakes and settle elsewhere if they play by the rules. And for those eyeing the slots, it mandates that a relocated pari-mutuel facility's one-armed bandits be stationed at the approved relocation spot, Above News reports.
Much buzz surrounds the name of Miami billionaire Jeffrey Soffer, the owner of Las Vegas' towering new tribute to yesteryear's Fontainebleau, who is reportedly courting none other than supermodel Gisele Bündchen. Soffer's standing in the beachfront city is being watched closely as the new law could dramatically change the cards for Miami Beach's gambling scene.
The bill doesn't just shift the goalposts; it also looks to shield relocated pari-mutuel facilities from local laws playing spoilsport on the establishment of cardrooms. In essence, once a facility has picked up and moved following the letter of the act, they're no longer in the crosshairs of municipal restrictions that could ante up the bureaucratic rigmarole. Gambling establishments could have more freedom to set up in new areas under the protection of state legislation rather than local zoning laws that often hold the winning hand in development disputes.
