Bill to Expand Casino Gambling in Florida is Dead
A bill that would have paved the way for the largest gambling expansion in the history of the state of Florida was withdrawn by its legislative sponsor last week.
This pretty much wipes out the prospect of allowing mega-resort casinos in the Fort Lauderdale/Miami area in southern Florida.
While the bill's proponents argued that the casinos would create about 100,000 new jobs and help the state's economy, the bill faced disapproval from many of the state's representatives.
Miami Republican Representative Erik Fresen, who is the sponsor of the House Business and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee, asked that the bill be withdrawn from consideration by the panel at its last scheduled session of the year, thus killing the bill.
"Today's action on the casino gambling bill is a resounding victory for those of us who have opposed this assault on Florida's family-friendly economy," said House Rules Chairman Gary Aubuchon.
If it had been passed, the proposal would have created a state gaming commission that would license no more than three South Florida casinos whose owners invested at least $2 billion each into building resorts.