In a nine-page letter, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber urged U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to reject the proposed gaming compact between the state and the Seminole Tribe, which gives control over sports betting to the tribe.
Gelber and Miami Beach have long opposed casino gaming within the city limits. He wrote to Haaland that he supports the goals of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), “namely, to provide Native American tribes with a pathway to greater independence and economic vitality.
“But the Florida compact you are considering was not crafted in pursuit of those goals. It was simply a vehicle hijacked by non-tribal casino interests who fully corrupted the legislative and executive process in order to obtain advantages outside of tribal land and in direct contravention to the interests of Floridians.”
The Department of the Interior must approve or reject the compact within 45 days after May 25; that’s the date Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill to ratify the compact. If Interior takes no action within that time frame, the compact will be considered approved.
The 74-page compact, negotiated between DeSantis and Tribal Chairman Marcellus W. Osceola Jr. gives the tribe exclusive rights to full casino games in Florida and directs 40 percent of sports betting to the state. In exchange, the tribe would guarantee the state $500 million a year in revenue-sharing payments for 30 years. The legislature passed the measure by a large margin.
Gelber also alleges the compact was negotiated with an improper purpose, since it “also requires the Seminole Tribe of Florida to agree not to object to gambling operations that are farther than 15 miles from its Hollywood casinos.”
He noted, “Our governor was not seeking to advance the goals of IGRA. Rather he was most interested in advancing the interests of non-tribal political donors and his most important political patron,” Donald Trump. The rumor mill says the former president may try to transfer a casino license to his financially struggling Trump National Doral Miami and potentially sell it to a casino operator.
Gelber also mentioned Jeffrey Soffer, owner of the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, who’s been trying for years to obtain a casino license for that resort. Gelber argued that certain language in the compact—that the Seminoles may not challenge a casino license for a business more than 15 miles “in a straight line” from the tribe’s Hard Rock Hollywood—would enable a gaming license for the Fontainebleau and the Trump property.
Gelber said state officials including DeSantis get “plane trips, parties on yachts and other non-monetary contributions” from those interests. He accused DeSantis of “setting the groundwork for casino expansion for a prime campaign donor at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, and for his major political patron at the Trump Doral.”
DeSantis dismissed the allegations, saying, “It’s ridiculous,” and expressed confidence that the compact will be approved. “I think it’s just an example of some of these partisan politicians always trying to elevate themselves with any type of cheap headline they can get, trying to inject Trump into this.’’ DeSantis said the compact is a good deal for Florida. He noted a casino license transfer cannot occur without the approval of the legislature.
Seminole Tribe spokesperson Gary Bitner added, “While the Seminole Tribe of Florida always is respectful of the opinions of others, the gaming compact was overwhelmingly approved by the Florida House and Senate with broad bipartisan support. It fully complies with the law and is good for the people of Florida.”
Jim Allen, CEO of Seminole Gaming and Hard Rock International, testified before House committees that the tribe has a sterling record regarding regulation of its gaming operations. Allen called the deal “a $500 million-a-year solution” that benefits both sides and state residents, especially in light of Covid-19.
Gelber wasn’t impressed and called the compact “a vehicle by which widespread casino gambling will be spread throughout our state. The Interior Department should not join this misguided effort.”
He also pointed out that Florida voters supported Amendment 3, which gave them exclusive rights to approve expanded gambling in the state. The current compact, he said, was “the only route arguably available to expand gambling to non-Indian interests.”
