Florida Governor Rick Scott hinted he was “getting close” to an agreement with the Seminole Tribe regarding portions of its gaming compact that expire next year. But House and Senate leaders rejected his offer to hold a special session in May. In fact, one high-ranking Republican said about a special session, “it’s toast.” Scott apparently could not get enough Senate votes for a special-session agreement and barely had 30 votes in the House. Senate President Don Gaetz said, “A special session this early would require a pretty Herculean effort and it’s pretty unlikely at this point. We need more analysis and more time than just a couple of weeks. So far, we’ve had our ear pressed against a closed door with a glass.”
Lawmakers believe Scott is close to an agreement with the tribe. He is renegotiating a portion of the current gambling compact, signed by then-Governor Charlie Crist in 2010, that gave the Seminoles “exclusive” rights to blackjack at seven of its Florida locations in exchange for a minimum of $1 billion over five years. That part of the 2010 deal will expire on August 1, 2015. Scott is considering allowing the Seminoles to open more casinos, including one on a 50-acre property owned by the tribe in Fort Pierce, plus and add roulette and craps at some of their existing facilities. The tribe also could expand its operations in Broward County and Brighton. Scott is expected to reject destination resort-casinos and deny any expansion of gaming at the state’s pari-mutuels, but in return Scott is asking for a guarantee of $2.5 billion over seven years—a figure higher than the Seminoles’ current minimum annual requirement of $250 million.
Frank Collins, a spokesman for Scott, emphasized that a final deal has not been reached. “There is no deal, and without a deal, there cannot be any decision on how to ratify a deal,” Collins said. A spokesman for the Seminoles said the tribe “is not commenting at this time.”
At Scott’s request, legislators put their debate on hold while he began talks with the tribe. But many lawmakers feel they’ve been left out of the process. In fact, Democratic legislators recently took a “Caucus Position” to withhold their support for ratifying the gaming compact unless they are included in negotiations. State Rep. Jim Waldman said, “We have been expressing our concerns all session long. It should come as no surprise to the governor that we expect a seat at the negotiating table. If we are not involved in any of the discussions the likelihood of us going along is very slim.” In particular, Waldman said Democrats will not support a compact unless it includes additional games for parimutuels in Broward and Miami-Dade counties and slot machines for the Palm Beach dog track. “The compact itself has to have enough of the wiggle room so that the state legislature has the opportunity to do whatever they think ought to be done. If you grant exclusivity, you kill any type of discussion,” Waldman said.
State Senator Jack Latvala added, “I know the Senate well enough to know that a compact that’s a giveaway to the Indians like Charlie Crist did will never pass in the Senate.” House Democratic Leader Perry Thurston stated, “Quite frankly, we don’t have any motivation just to ratify what the governor does.”
Lieutenant Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera met with legislative leaders to let them know Scott and the Seminoles could reach an agreement soon. House Speaker Will Weatherford said, “We basically said, ‘When you have a deal, let us know what it is. We’d love to look at it and we’ll tell you what we think.” Gaetz reportedly told Lopez-Cantera “he would be interested in learning more if negotiations are finalized.” Gaetz said even the simplest issue revolving around gambling can turn into a pretty contentious issue. Anytime gaming gets mentioned, it’s like red meat in the middle of the table with a bunch of carnivores around because of all the interests groups that have a stake in the process,” he said.
Among those interest groups are Genting, Las Vegas Sands owner Sheldon Adelson and Donald Trump, who may zip their pockets if Scott negotiates a deal considered favorable to the Seminoles. The three were among those lobbying for legislative approval of least one casino resort in South Florida this year. But House Speaker Will Weatherford said his chamber would not approve any gambling bill unless Scott finalized negotiations with the Seminoles and unless lawmakers approved a constitutional amendment letting voters decide about future gambling expansion.
Adelson has contributed $250,000 to Scott’s “Let’s Get to Work” campaign account. Resorts World Miami, a division of Genting seeking to open a casino in downtown Miami, gave $100,000 to Scott’s re-election effort last year and Resorts World Omni contributed $175,000 to the Republican Party of Florida last month. Over the last two years, the Seminole Tribe of Florida contributed $500,000 to Scott’s political committee in September, and another $400,000 to the RPOF. The tribe also gave $75,000 to a political committee affiliated with the Florida House Democratic Caucus as well as $245,000 to the Florida Democratic Party.
Scott most likely will face now-Democrat Crist this November. Lopez-Cantera, who helped Crist negotiate the Seminole compact, said the Seminoles know Crist is someone they can do business with. As a result, Scott supporters are concerned that the Seminoles will send millions to Crist’s campaign. Analysts believe keeping the tribe involved in negotiations past the May 18 special session date and well into the election cycle could prove favorable to Scott.
In 2012, gambling revenue from Native American casinos in Florida was $2.2 billion, a 3 percent increase and the second consecutive year of growth after a drop in 2010. The state ranks fourth overall in gambling revenue, behind California, Oklahoma and Washington.
