Lawsuit alleges massive fraud in Florida slots petition drive

Jackie Hallifax

Thursday, Sept. 30, 2004 | 9:10 a.m.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A lawsuit filed this week alleges that thousands of signatures submitted to get a gambling measure on the November ballot in Florida were forged, some with the names of dead people.

The accusation by the Humane Society of the United States, an anti-gambling group and a greyhound group targets Secretary of State Glenda Hood, several local elections supervisors and Floridians for a Level Playing Field.

The latter organization is the parimutuel-supported organization that pushed the gambling measure. If approved by voters in November, the proposed amendment to the state constitution would let voters in south Florida decide whether to allow slot machines at seven horse and dog tracks and jai alai frontons.

The amendment would allow all tax revenue earned on the south Florida slots to be shared by schools across the state. Supporters say at least $438 million would be generated for education in the first year.

"It's just a bunch of trumped up charges," said Earl Bender, campaign manager for Floridians for a Level Playing Field.

In the lawsuit, the gambling opponents ask that the measure be thrown off the November ballot or, if a decision comes after Election Day, the results be found null and void.

Hood spokeswoman Jenny Nash said she couldn't comment on any investigations.

In the lawsuit, the gambling opponents say they talked to nearly 5,300 of the 104,000 people whose names were on petitions submitted by the campaign in Broward County.

More than two-thirds "stated unequivocally that they did not sign any petition in support of the slots initiative," the lawsuit says. In addition, as many as 33 people purported to sign the petition in Broward County were dead, according to the suit.