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Rep. Bill Galvano Not in Favor of Approving New Seminole Gaming Compact

State Representative Bill Galvano, the head of a House committee that last spring helped make a new $6.8 billion gaming measure for Florida, will recommend against its approval on September 21st, 2009.

But Governor Charlie Crist's chief of staff, Eric Eikenberg, defended the deal with the Seminole Tribe, which was approved on August 31st, 2009. Eikenberg said that the agreement would provide more than $7 billion for state education.

Galvano said that the Florida House expects Gov. Crist and the Seminole tribe to follow the parameters stated on the gaming measure passed by the House last spring. He added that new deal, which called for the Seminole tribe to pay Florida a portion of its earnings, projected at $6.8 billion for twenty years, now far exceed what the state legislators had set.

Among Rep. Galvano's objections about the new deal was that the state would not receive enough back in exchange for the exclusivity it was giving the Seminole tribe. Galvano said that the new deal will literally make Florida a full-on gaming state and will give absolute monopoly to the tribe in exchange an amount of cash that is 1/10 of what the state could earn if they did not give the tribe full monopoly.

Galvano said that what the Seminoles is proposing is to offer Class III slot machines and banked card games like baccarat at all of its 7 gaming facilities and to limit any gaming expansion other than in Seminole casinos. He added that pari-mutuel facilities like the Sarasota Kennel Club and other dog and horse racing tracks would be severely affected and the gaming facilities will also affect other tourists destinations like the Walt Disney World.

Seminole spokesperson Gary Bitner refused to comment on the issue. Eikenberg said that the proposed gaming compact did not ignore the parameters set by the legislature. He added that although Rep. Galvano did not participate in the talks, he was certainly an important part of the discussions.

Eikenberg said that the Seminole tribe was asked to consider a bigger payment to Florida by Rep. Galvano and the tribe agreed to that. Eikenberg said that money from the Seminoles have helped the students in the state of Florida have made progress in the national rankings. He said that he hopes that the Florida legislature will consider approving the compact since it will be for state education.

 

Monday, October 26 , 2009
Victor Copeland