A bill aimed at saving thoroughbred horse racing in Florida and leveling the playing field for the parimutuel industry has undergone significant changes, aimed at alleviating fears from the thoroughbred industry that the measure could end racing.
A proposed committee substitute (PCS) maintains what is known as decoupling — which eliminates the requirement that thoroughbred racing facilities host live races in order to maintain permits for ancillary activities such as slot machines and card rooms — while adding a new commitment to maintain thoroughbred racing in the state.
The PCS to Rep. Adam Anderson’s measure (HB 105) adds language confirming that a track cannot stop racing unless they provide a three-year notice to the thoroughbred industry. It goes further by mandating that such notice cannot be given until 2027. The revision is meant to ensure the state’s two existing thoroughbred tracks, Tampa Bay Downs and Gulfstream Park, continue racing into the future.
Additionally, the PCS provides the ability to move existing thoroughbred race permits to different facilities, providing flexibility and new possibilities for the thoroughbred race industry.
The original bill easily cleared its first committee hearing last month, with a 12-4 favorable vote by the House Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee.
The bill, as it was originally written and under the new PCS, would allow Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach to continue operating its on-site casino without a contingency that it also operate horse racing. The measure is meant to align thoroughbred tracks with other parimutuel facilities that were decoupled from ancillary activities under a 2021 law (SB 2A).
Supporters of the legislation say it is necessary to level the playing field for horse race tracks, by giving them the option to maintain certain gambling activities even without live horse races. It would make each activity independent.
But the measure is not without opposition. Critics have been concerned about the continuation of horse racing. This PCS addresses those concerns and seeks to provide stability to the industry with the guarantee of racing into the future.
Horse racing is declining, but Gulfstream Park is making efforts to preserve it as a significant industry. The park hopes to attract more attention to its racing activities by making necessary improvements to its facility.
The decline of the racing industry is apparent through horse breeding statistics.
In 2002, about 4,500 foals were bred. By last year, that number had dropped to just around 1,000. The PCS aims to provide significant support to Florida’s breeding industry. With these additional incentives in place, supporters hope the breeding industry will not only recover, but emerge more resilient and stronger than before.
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