Florida is once again debating who owns tickets to concerts and sporting events.
In 2013, Zogby found 76 percent of Floridians believe that whoever buys a ticket owns it and can do with it what he wants. But sales giant Ticketmaster opposes reselling tickets.
Florida Rep. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, and Florida Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-New Port Richey, have a bill cracking down on scalping while offering more transparency and consumer protection for ticket purchasing. Proponents of the bill say it would also stop deceptive advertising. The bill also has teeth, with violators facing fines up to $500 and 60 days in jail.
The bill has some heavy backers with the Orlando Magic, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Straz Center, the Tampa Bay Rays, the New York Yankees, the University of Florida and Ticketmaster lining up behind it.
But the bill also has some major league opponents with StubHub and Fan Freedom standing against it. Opponents insist the bill isnt about consumer protection and only protects a monopoly. They point out Ticketmaster controls around 80 percent of the national ticketing market and doesnt want any competition. Arguing Ticketmaster already has a monopoly on the market and controls prices, Fan Freedom and other opponents say the bill will limit choice, undermine competition and damage the resale market.
Ticketmaster doesnt want anybody else to resell tickets, except for themselves," Frank Wuco, a small-business man from the Tampa area who has been active on the matter, told Sunshine State News on Wednesday. Wuco insisted Ticketmaster fundamentally undermines the free market" and is anti-free market and anti-consumer.
Columnist Ken Marrero agrees with that view, insisting these types of bills are more focused on eliminating competition than clamping down on scalping.
Ingoglias bill cleared the Business and Professions Subcommittee, the Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee and unanimously passed the Regulatory Affairs Committee. It cleared first reading in the House.
Simpsons bill has made less progress though it passed the Commerce and Tourism and Criminal Justice committee this week. Its now sitting in Appropriations Committee but has not reached the Senate floor yet.
Ed Dean, a senior editor with SSN whose talk-show can be heard on radio stations across Florida, can be reached at ed@sunshinestatenews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @eddeanradio.
