Florida slots vote may open door to stonger regulation

Jackie Hallifax

Thursday, March 10, 2005 | 9:06 a.m.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A "no" vote on slots in Miami-Dade County could mean more regulations on the machines in Broward County, state lawmakers said Wednesday as they assessed the political landscape after the split South Florida vote.

Voters in Broward County approved the slot machines at race tracks and jai-alai frontons on Tuesday, but Miami-Dade County voters rejected them. The Legislature must figure out how to regulate and tax the machines -- key questions that could determine how much the pari-mutuel industry and the state will profit.

"There will be increased momentum for stronger regulation of this industry due to the fact it had lukewarm interest in southeast Florida," Senate President Tom Lee said.

Those regulations could include the number and kind of machines, the hours of operations and the size of the prizes. They also must decide the tax rate and how the money, which must be used to enhance education across Florida, will be spent.

Gov. Jeb Bush, who opposes gambling, said the vote in Miami-Dade County opened the door to tighter regulations in Broward County. But, he warned, the state can't go overboard or it will wind up in court.

"Some of the dynamics may change a bit but we still have a duty to implement this for Broward County and that's what we intend to do," Bush said.

The slot machines could be up and running in Broward County by the end of the year, key lawmakers said.

But Lee, R-Brandon, said the vote results indicate that Florida is "less pro-gaming" than slots supporters suggested when they won their first victory in November.

That's when voters statewide approved a constitutional amendment giving Broward and Miami-Dade counties authority to put slot machines at seven tracks and jai-alai frontons, given approval from local voters.

But now the political dynamic has changed, many said.

"I think there will be more willingness to make it a more difficult operation," said Sen. Dan Webster, R-Winter Garden. Webster chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will be the final panel to vote on the bill before it goes to the floor.

The no vote also gave a proposal to repeal the constitutional amendment "a whole new forward momentum," said its sponsor, Rep. Randy Johnson, R-Celebration.

"Anyone who is a student of politics can clearly see that the momentum has substantially changed," Johnson said.

But some lawmakers who will help write the regulation bill dismissed the impact of Tuesday's vote.

"It really doesn't change anything for us," said Sen. Dennis Jones, chairman of the Regulated Industries Committee. "We're going to be dealing with four facilities rather than seven."

Rep. Frank Attkisson, R-Kissimmee, chairs the House Business Regulation Committee, which will discuss tax rates today. Attkisson said his focus has been on figuring out the best policy -- and remains that.

Sen. Steve Geller, a Hallandale Democrat who is president of the National Association of Legislators from Gaming States, also said he expected people in Miami-Dade County to face a repeat of Tuesday's vote in two years -- with a different outcome.

"It's a brief delay," Geller said.

But he acknowledged the path was still difficult. Geller said the governor would likely block a reasonable bill from becoming law and that the issue would land in the courts.

"I predict that you won't actually see any machines up and running until we have a new governor," he said.