Seminole Hard Rock Casino | Sunshine State News Archives

Two-thirds to three-quarters of those expected to visit mega-casinos being proposed for Southeast Florida will likely have diverted their time -- and their money -- from other destinations in the region, state economists projected Friday afternoon.

That is, if the casinos are limited to just Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

The Poarch Band Creek Indians, betting $20 million on the Panhandle off-ramp town of Gretna, were able to showcase Floridas latest gambling option Thursday: controversial head-to-head barrel racing.

Opponents claim the races are just a front so they can entice voters to allow more lucrative slot machines to be installed.

Unlike in traditional barrel racing, where a single rider at a time competes against a clock, the tribe is pitting two riders at a time against each other in neighboring fields running horses in a cloverleaf fashion around three barrels.

When port supporters talk about gearing Florida up for the anticipated growth of shipping due to the widening of the Panama Canal, ground zero is Port of Miami.

The attention has been on the $77 million that Gov. Rick Scott directed toward the dredging of the harbor to capture the super freighters expected to stream through a widened Panama Canal starting in 2014.

But that work is only one of three major projects that have been in the works for more than a decade at the cargo and cruise hotspot.

Congressman Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta, has become the sixth House member from the Florida delegation to sign on to the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act.

Sens. Bill Nelson, D-Orlando, and Marco Rubio, R-Miami, have also joined similar efforts.

The House bill prohibits members of Congress, their staff and federal employees from trading in the stock market on information obtain in closed-door meetings.

Gov. Rick Scott has already taken a leadership role in protection of the Florida Everglades, beyond mere statements, a spokesman said, while a new bipartisan coalition wants the governor to make conserving all of the states natural resources a top priority.

Former Gov. Bob Graham was joined by longtime Republican conservationist Nathaniel Reed of Jupiter Island and Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, in a media conference on the back steps of the Old Capitol on Wednesday to announce the formation of the Florida Conservation Coalition.

Despite reported record spending for Black Friday, consumer confidence remains at historic low levels, a new University of Florida study reported Wednesday.

The National Retail Federation reported Black Friday sales took in $52.4 billion, 16 percent more than a year earlier for the traditional start of the holiday shopping season.

However, it remains to be seen if shopping will continue through December for the end-of-year holidays or if the high post-Thanksgiving sales were simply a reflection of enticing sales.