Senate passes bill on greyhound racing

By The Associated Press
© 2011 Miami Herald
Friday, April 29, 2011

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The Florida Senate has approved a measure ending the requirement that greyhound-dog tracks continue to offer live racing if they want to keep card tables and other betting games.<

The bill (HB 1145) was already passed by the House and was approved by senators with changes 25-14 on Friday. It goes back to the House.<

Supporters of the bill said it was not intended to end dog racing but to allow financially-struggling tracks to stay open with other betting options. They said that will help save jobs.

But opponents said the also-struggling horse-racing industry wants the same relief next year and such moves will result in an overall expansion of gambling.

There were 25 working dog tracks in seven states at last count. Thirteen of those are in Florida.

Latvala calls Senate leaders out
for 'intimidation' tactics on amendments

By Mary Ellen Klas
The Buzz
Friday, April 29, 2011

Sen. Jack Latvala, R-St. Petersburg, stood to blast Senate leadership for failing to allow a series of amendments on a parimutuel bill to end live racing at greyhound tracks.

"The best way that we can craft a parimutuel bill is if everybody comes to the table,'' he said. "I have great respect for the institution…" He talked about how the public sent them to the Legislature because "they think we have a brain. They think we can make decisions and it’s very disappointing to be part of a situation where all of our brains and all of our contributons aren’t utitlized to the best degree."

As Haridopolos stood at the podium, his arm crossed, sending the signal that he was not pleased, Latvala added: Senators who wanted to file amendments "were intimidated out of them."

Senate Rules Chairman John Thrasher, who three years ago lobbied for the Jacksonville Kennel Club which strongly wants the bill to pass without the amendments, disagreed. "I don’t know that anybody has been intimidated,'' he said. He explained that they didn't want to bring up amendments that had never been heard before.

Haridopolos said "if you didn't like the bill, you could have filed an amendment and some people choose to file late-filed amendments and I choose to let those late-filed amendments to be introduced. ...This has been the most open Senate with multiple hearings for any individual who wanted it. So we're going to vote on this so we can focus on other issues." He then offered to bring the amendments back, or postpone the bill until they ready to address the amendments again. No one raised his hand.

Ironically, Senate leaders an hour earlier, agreed to attach a growth management bill to the conforming bill on the budget, which had never been heard in the Senate, against the objections of Latvala. The conforming bill cannot be amended and is an take-it-or-leave it option for senators.