TALLAHASSEE – A Florida House panel Wednesday supported eliminating a requirement that the state’s two remaining thoroughbred horse tracks hold races to be able to offer other types of gambling.

The proposal (HB 105), approved by the House Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee, drew fierce criticism from opponents who argued that it would lead to an end of racing and devastate the state’s horse-breeding industry.

In a concept known as “decoupling,” the bill would erase a requirement that Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs hold live races to be able to operate cardrooms and, in the case of Gulfstream, slot machines.

Bill sponsor Adam Anderson, R-Palm Harbor, said his goal is to support the horse-racing industry. He argued decoupling would give the tracks “the tools that they need to make better business decisions to make their tracks more profitable.”

“But most importantly, I feel strongly that most members of this body (the House) would agree with me that it is not the Legislature’s responsibility to force a private business to operate a line of business that might not be profitable,” Anderson said.

Florida horse breeders oppose the bill 

But Lonny Powell, CEO of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association, and other opponents said the bill would be a threat to areas such as Marion County, which is a major player nationally in horse breeding.

“This (the bill) is not just a piece of paper (and) everybody is just going to continue to race,” Powell said. “This is a piece of paper that will allow many people to lose their jobs and for a 70-some-year-old, 75-, 80-year-old industry in this state, a signature industry in this state, to be in peril.”

The bill is filed for the legislative session that will start March 4 and comes four years after lawmakers approved such decoupling for harness-racing tracks. Also, Florida voters in 2018 approved a constitutional amendment that banned greyhound racing, effectively clearing the way for dog tracks to end racing while keeping other gambling activities.

Sen. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, last week filed a Senate version of Anderson’s bill (SB 408). Legislative committees and subcommittees are starting to take up bills in preparation for the annual session.

Anderson’s bill initially would have been limited to decoupling at Gulfstream, which is in Hallandale Beach, but an amendment was approved Wednesday to also include Tampa Bay Downs.

What Gulfstream Park had to say about the measure

Representatives of both tracks indicated during the meeting that they supported the bill, with Gulfstream lobbyist Jeff Johnston pushing back against arguments about the potential end of racing. Johnston said Gulfstream has submitted plans to the state to hold 200 days of races in 2025 and 200 days of racing in 2026.

“Nobody said racing is stopping,” Johnston said. “They are decoupling the two (horse racing and other forms of gambling) so they can be independent, and it gives the track flexibility to do things that they need to do at the track.”

But Rep. Yvonne Hinson, a Gainesville Democrat whose district includes part of Marion County, said the bill would “deal a devastating economic blow to the state” because of its effects on the broader horse industry. She described Ocala as the “epicenter of the global thoroughbred industry.”

“This bill would kill this county,” Hinson said.