Recent news reports have indicated that the Florida House and Senate are considering holding a special session this month to expand gambling in Florida!
Gambling is bad for Florida and bad for Florida’s families. You can stop this blatant attempt to expand casino and slot machine gambling in Florida by contacting your legislators and asking them to “Say NO to a special session to expand gambling.”
Please email your state senator and representative here.
Please share this email on social media and ask your friends to contact their state legislators too.
Calling a special session is very concerning for three reasons:
1) Legislative leaders have indicated that the state of Florida may lose significant revenue it has been receiving from the Seminole Tribe under the Seminole Gaming Compact because of an expiring deal between the two parties. This is simply not true. The Seminole Tribe has publicly indicated on two occasions that they will continue to pay the state a share of their revenues. There is no threat of reduced revenue to the state and therefore no reason to recall Legislators to the Capitol to expand gambling in Florida beyond this current agreement.
2) Legislators have seen the growing support for Amendment 3, the Voter Control of Gambling Amendment (set for the 2018 general election ballot), which will put voters in charge of all future gambling decisions in Florida. They are worried it will pass and take away their ability to expand gambling in the state. So are the gambling lobbyists and casinos who were not able to push their agenda through during this year’s regular session! This call for a special session is just a last ditch, ‘buzzer-beating’ effort to expand gambling in Florida.
3) A special session of the Legislature would cost Florida taxpayers significantly. Past special sessions have cost Florida taxpayers between $60,000-70,000 a day. A special session, unless absolutely necessary to deal with an impending state crisis, is not good stewardship of our tax dollars.
