Commissioners in St. Lucie County, Florida recently voted 5-0 to let voters decide if slot machines should be allowed where parimutuel betting is permitted. The issue will appear on the November 8 ballot and specifically apply to the proposed 0 million Fort Pierce Jai-Alai & Poker. A majority vote will be required to pass the referendum, according to the St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections Office.
However, the legislature still would need to change state law which currently only allows slots in Broward and Miami-Dade counties and on Native American land. Dog and horse racetracks and jai alai frontons can offer poker. In 2012 voters in Brevard and Palm Beach counties passed similar referendums but still have no slot machines. Earlier this month, the Florida Supreme Court heard arguments in Gretna Racing LLC vs. the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, in which the small racetrack claimed changes to state law in 2010 allowed dog and horse tracks to install slots if county voters passed a referendum. The court has yet to make a ruling.
David Jonas, chief executive officer at Fort Pierce Jai-Alai & Poker, said if St. Lucie County voters approve the ballot measure, the county and Fort Pierce would gain “a seat at the table” if and when state lawmakers vote to change the law.
An economic analysis prepared for the project’s developers indicated the development would create 659 construction jobs and 500 permanent jobs. Jonas said 80-90 percent of the jobs would be filled locally. “The people brought from outside may be the director of security or someone who runs the day-to-day operations of the casino if we can’t find someone locally with the experience we need,” Jonas said. Fort Pierce Mayor Linda Hudson commented, “The proposal sounds promising because of the substantial job creation. This would be a shot in the arm for the city.”
In addition, the facility would generate $202,101 in property taxes for Fort Pierce and $216,664 for the county. Also, the city would receive $180,391 and the county would receive $160,520 in one-time impact fees to pay for new roads, sidewalks and libraries. Additionally, money also could benefit the city and county from a revenue-sharing agreement similar to the Casino Miami, owned by Jonas, which pays 1½ percent of revenue to Miami-Dade County and to the city of Miami.
The 55,000 square foot facility would include a 5,000 square foot restaurant. The specific location of the development has not been determined.
