The Florida Constitution Commission’s General Provisions Committee recently unanimously approved Proposal 67 which would ban greyhound racing in the state. The vote moves the issue closer to appearing on the November 2018 ballot, where 60 percent of voters would be required for passage. The measure’s sponsor, state Senator Tom Lee, said voters overwhelmingly would approve it.
Lee said, “This is, for me, a matter of conscience. Our society has changed. We are evolving as a people. We are becoming more sensitive to those who occupy this world with us, regardless of their species, and to those who are going to follow us for generations to come. And that’s a good thing. And as we’ve evolved, we’ve banned all sorts of activities that have been considered cruel to animals: bullfighting and cockfighting and all kinds of things. To me, this is just the next step on that plane of becoming more sensitive to this kind of inhumanity.”
Greyhound racing would end in Florida as of December 31, 2019 under the proposal, which now will go before the commission’s Executive Committee and then be considered by the full 37-member commission, which meets every 20 years to consider constitutional changes.
Supporters noted more than 400 racing greyhound have died at Florida tracks since 2013. State law does not require racetracks to report causes of greyhound deaths, but activists have stated many dogs have died due to inhumane treatment, including malnourishment and lack of attention to injuries. Earlier this year, 22 greyhounds in Florida also tested positive for cocaine.
Dog-racing industry officials claim none of Florida’s 8,000 racing greyhounds is mistreated. They said a ban would lead to the loss of about 3,000 jobs. Greyhound racing generates about $80 million annually although attendance has significantly declined at the racetracks over the past decade.
Under Florida law, greyhound racetracks are required to run live races if they want to offer more lucrative types of gambling, such as cardrooms or slots. Efforts to “decouple” live racing from other parimutuel gambling have so far been unsuccessful. Constitution Revision Commission member and former state Senate President Don Gaetz said, “Every time that we have tried to deal with the greyhound issue, it has become a magnet for a wider array of issues associated with gaming.”
Commission member Brechet Heuchan said, “We should do this as quickly as we feasibly can. One year from when the constitutional amendment would be on the ballot to me seems like ample time.”
