Florida legislators may get chance to vote on gambling soon

He cited casino gambling on Seminole Indian reservations, jai alai, dog and horse racing, poker rooms and "cruises to nowhere" that take players outside state waters where casino-style gambling is legal. To help make sure such a bill gets a floor vote, Haridopolos said he changed the membership of a key Senate committee last week. "One thing I do not want to see is things sometimes get bogged down in committee, denying other senators the right to vote on some important legislation," he said.

It's a chance for Florida to add us$ 1 billion to us$ 2 billion annually to state revenues, Haridopolos said, but he acknowledged passing casino resort legislation isn't a sure bet. "The house has been a little cool to it in prior years, but we'll see if they want to take a look at it," he said. "Obviously, the economic climate has opened some people's minds to it."

Gambling traditionally has drawn opposition on moral grounds, but casino resorts also could get push-back from the Seminoles and pari-mutuel industry unless the legislation includes some benefits for them as well. There's also the legal question of whether the Legislature has the authority to expand gambling. It's pending before the 1st District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee.

Competitors are challenging a law passed last year that allows slot machines at Hialeah Park. They are appealing a trial judge's ruling that a state constitutional amendment allowing slots at seven other pari-mutuel facilities in Miami-Dade and Broward counties doesn't prevent the Legislature from permitting more anywhere in Florida.

Haridopolos said that he, like Governor Rick Scott, has an open mind on destination gambling resorts but hasn't made a final decision. He said he first wants to see cost-and-benefit information and other details developed in committee.

Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff and Representative Erik Fresen plan to file bills that would allow gaming companies to bid on licenses in South Florida.

Haridopolos recently took a fundraising trip to Las Vegas and met with casino operators there but didn't name names. "I met with a variety of folks," he said. "Any major group that was interested I agreed to meet with."

One major gaming company already has staked out a site in downtown Miami. Malaysia-based Genting Group purchased The Miami Herald building earlier this year and has announced it will build a 10-million-square-foot, mixed-use development.

Haridopolos said the Senate also will focus next year on legislation designed to curtail fraud in Florida's no-fault automobile insurance system and more economic development measure as well as renewable energy and immigration bills.

He said he'll put an immigration measure passed by the Senate this year on a fast track for another floor vote after the Legislature convenes in January. It would have required one-stop career work centers to verify the employment eligibility of workers.

The House refused to pass it because it lacked tougher provisions sought by Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi similar to Arizona's hotly debated immigration law. The House's tougher approach drew opposition from business and agricultural interests as well as Hispanic activists.