Seminole concession could open door to non-tribal casino
(The Center Square) – The 30-year Seminole gaming compact ratified by state lawmakers Wednesday is drawing controversy – and threats of pending legal challenges – for legalizing sports betting, “decoupling” pari-mutuels from mandated live-racing and allegedly attempting to circumvent a constitutionally-required statewide referendum on the deal.
But what’s not in the 75-page pact Gov. Ron DeSantis signed on April 23 is also drawing eyebrows: the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s objection to a provision that could allow for a non-tribal casino in Miami-Dade County.
Florida law doesn’t allow the transfer of gambling licenses. A provision in the pact prohibits the tribe from interfering should Florida issue a gambling license to an applicant more than 15 miles “in a straight line” from the Seminole’s Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood.
The Seminole Tribe’s acceptance of a Miami-Dade County variance to a 100-mile buffer zone around their casinos eliminates a hurdle hampering three rumored efforts to bring a non-tribal, Las Vegas-style casino to South Florida and opens a ripe can of speculation because one of the alleged casino hopefuls is former President Donald Trump.
The Trump National Doral Miami resort, which Trump spent $250 million renovating since 2012, is slightly more than 15 miles away from the Hard Rock in Hollywood.
Eric Trump, who managed The Trump Organization while his father was in office, told The Washington Post in March that Doral would be a natural fit for a casino.
“Many people consider Trump Doral to be unmatched from a gaming perspective – at 700 acres, properties just don’t exist of that size and quality in South Florida, let alone in the heart of Miami,” Eric Trump said.
Critics say there’s no reason for the 15-mile exception that DeSantis negotiated into the deal, other than to benefit Trump, whose endorsement of the relatively little-known congressman helped lift him to victory in the 2018 gubernatorial race.
The week before the May 17 special session began, Trump issued a statement endorsing Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby — a chief author of the pact — as the 2022 Republican candidate for state agriculture commissioner. It was odd since Simpson has not formally announced his intent to do so.
Billionaire developer Jeffrey Soffer has long sought to transfer his pari-mutuel gaming license from Big Easy Casino in Hallandale Beach to his Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel, which is also just beyond 15 miles from the Hard Rock in Hollywood.
In September, Soffer hosted Simpson and House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, for sunset cruise fundraisers aboard his 311-foot yacht. Sprowls and his wife met Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterback and his wife during one.
Since 2019, Soffer-related companies have contributed $1.1 million in political contributions, including $300,000 to Simpson’s Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign, $407,500 to the Florida Republican Party and more than $135,000 to Republican legislators, according to the Florida Division of Elections (DOE).
In March, Soffer’s Big Easy Casino contributed $100,000 to Friends of Ron DeSantis, the governor’s political committee, the DOE reports.
During the regular session, lawmakers addressed gaming license “portability.” A proposed bill allowing gaming licenses to be transferrable never gained traction. “Portability” was removed as a discussion for the special session, but is certain to surface in 2022.
Sen. Travis Hutson, R-St. Augustine, who sponsored all nine special session Senate bills, said speculation should be tempered by noting there are regulatory safeguards preventing “portability” and there’s a Miami Beach ordinance that would require city voters approve any gaming operation.
“The Florida Legislature would have to act on a permit moving,” Hutson told reporters. “We would have to come up and actually pass law to make it move.”
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