Photo:

The Florida Capitol – edited composite

The first hearing for the controversial bill that was allow Gulfstream
Park to decouple its racing and slot-machine licenses has been scheduled for next
week by the Florida state legislature.

The industries and professional-activities subcommittee of
the House of Representatives scheduled a two-hour session for next Wednesday
from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. EST at the capitol’s Webster Hall in Tallahassee.

Stronach: ‘Dense, urban setting … is not great for horses’.

House bill 105 is sponsored by Republican Adam Anderson, a
first-term representative from a district that is in Pinellas County. It
includes Tampa Bay Downs, which is not directly affected by the proposal since
it has a card room but no slot machines. Anderson is not a member of the subcommittee
that is chaired by Republican Mike Giallombardo, who is from Lee County along
the Gulf coast in southwestern Florida.

An identical Senate bill 408 was formally filed Wednesday and
is sponsored by Republican Danny Burgess, who represents parts of Hillsborough
and Pasco counties in the Tampa Bay area. It had not been assigned to a
committee or subcommittee by Wednesday evening.

If passed, the proposed law would allow Gulfstream Park to
operate its slots without having to race the current minimum of 40 days per
year.

Doing business under the name 1/ST, management from the
Stronach Company told horsemen this month that decoupling would come with a
guarantee of at least three more years of racing at Gulfstream Park. If the
bill were to fail, there would be no such assurance, especially since the sale value
of the Hallandale Beach, Fla., property might be irresistible.

Owners and trainers voiced their opposition to the idea and
to the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, whose leadership
reluctantly endorsed the bill to try and get a commitment from 1/ST that
Gulfstream would not be shut down sooner than later. The FTHA, which is not
recognized by the National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, is
rethinking its support of the proposed decoupling, according to Daily Racing
Form.

Belinda Stronach, the CEO of 1/ST, tried to offer some
reassurance Saturday on Pegasus World Cup day. She told NBC Sports, “I would
like to continue discussions with the horsemen and horsewomen and the trainers
and those that are involved to look to the future and say where do we want to
be in five years or more? What kind of situation can we collectively come up
with together that would be in the best interest of racing in Florida and
create something that is sustainable?”

Stronach also said she felt racing in a “very dense, urban setting”
was “not great for horses,” a comment that has been met with widespread criticism
from stakeholders throughout the racing industry.

Subcommittee and committee hearings start before the Florida
legislature’s 2025 session, which runs for 60 days from March 4 to May 2. If house
bill 105 were to pass and be signed by Republican governor Ron DeSantis, it
would go into effect July 1.