When you woke up this morning and there was no comprehensive gaming package for Florida, did you really think it was because of some clash of priorities in the House or in the Senate? Don't be silly. Every leader from the governor on down wanted basically the same thing out of the 2016 Legislature.
They wanted the Seminoles' $3 billion, yes, but they also wanted pari-mutuel facilities in five more counties, and eventually in more counties than that, to have casinos without the need to run games or races. The feeling in one committee meeting after another was, if citizens want them, they should have them. In time, casinos large and small would be dotted all over the state.
The failure to produce a gaming package had nothing to with the Seminoles, who honored the first compact Gov. Charlie Crist and Sen. Bill Galvano hammered out in 2010.
It had nothing to do with Florida's horsemen who were begging for mercy as lawmakers turned their back on their lucrative industry, backbone of counties like Marion, and urged decoupling anyway.
Nor did leading legislators or political organizations feel particularly guilty about taking tens of thousands of dollars from 31 casino and race-track owners -- actually, $3.1 million in all. It's all legal. It's how we do things in American politics. As I've said before, go ahead and call it bribery, because that's what it is.
The point is, lawmakers weren't shamed into a halt on the gaming bills. They would have taken the money happily and started planning for the next campaign. In fact, that's pretty much what they did.
What stopped the gaming bills cold was the election.
According to a group of legislators and lobbyists who would not talk on the record -- and I'm sorry about this, I really did want to name names and quote them, word for word -- principal leaders on the gaming issue talked it over, took a broad view and shut the gaming bills down.
They feared repercussions from an angry electorate that would blame the Republican Legislature for effecting the largest expansion of gambling in Florida's history.
Sources said the last thing they wanted would be to fan the Donald Trump flames. They fear the GOP losing closely contested state Senate races so soon after redistricting, when they know Democrats will pick up some seats anyway.
I say this now as a forewarning. You should know if you haven't figured it out already, decoupling and gambling expansion are only on hold. Your Legislature has already made its decision.
This is a Lazarus issue. When the election is over, if gambling isn't entirely tied up in the courts, it will return with a vengeance. Special interests plowed too much money into this year's push to see the casino and track owners' wishes go away.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith.
