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Seminole Compact - page 5

‘Good faith’ at issue in Seminole Tribe blackjack trial

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Questions of ā€œgood faithā€ were the nub of the first day of trial between the state and the Seminole Tribe over its ability to keep offering blackjack to casino customers across Florida. Lawyers for both sides Monday focused on the elemental question of who was right and who was wrong in the beginning of this weekā€™s trial in Tallahassee. Or rather, who reallyĀ broke the deal. The state and tribe are suing each other after lawmakers earlier this year failed to…

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James E. Billie ousted as head of state’s Seminole Tribe

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With less than a week before a trial over their blackjack games begins, the Seminole Tribe of FloridaĀ has removed James E. Billie as tribal chairman. Billie was ousted Wednesday in a 4-0 vote of the tribe’s governing council, Law 360 reported,Ā citing ā€œvarious issues with policies and procedures of the chairmanā€™s office.” Gary Bitner, spokesman for the tribe, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Sun-Sentinel reportedĀ a special election will be held in the next monthĀ to elect a…

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United Florida Horsemen ā€œrelievedā€ Session ends without decoupling

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The United Florida Horsemen said they were ā€œrelievedā€ the 2016 Legislative Session ended without lawmakers approving decoupling for Florida pari-mutuels. ā€œEven though decoupling as part of the Seminole Gaming Compact legislation was declared ā€˜deadā€™ last Friday, March 4, a hostile decoupling amendment had been quietly filed the same day to HB 1187 and later to SB 1050 this week,ā€ the group said in a Friday email. Decoupling removes race requirements for state pari-mutuels to run card rooms and slot machines,…

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Crucial federal trial over gambling could be pushed back

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A crucial trial over the future of gambling in Florida could be pushed back until the fall. Attorneys for both the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the state on Wednesday asked a federal judge to push back a two-week trial until October. The trial now scheduled for July will determine whether or not the Seminoles can continue to have blackjack tables at their casinos. The tribe filed the lawsuit last October after a 5-year deal with the state expired. Gov.…

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House lays Seminole Compact failure at feet of Senate

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Itā€™s the Florida Senateā€™s fault that the Seminole Compact wasnā€™t passed this session, two House leaders said Friday afternoon. They rejected claims that there werenā€™t enough votes in the House, saying instead there was no point in moving a bill that wasnā€™t going to be considered across the Capitol Rotunda. (For todayā€™s background, click here.) The SenateĀ gaveĀ up on it earlier this week, with President Andy Gardiner saying theĀ compactĀ ā€œwill be for another day, and for somebody else to handle.ā€Ā This is his…

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Jose Felix Diaz files more changes to Seminole Compact

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The House’s lead negotiator on the Seminole Compact has filed another strike-all onto the troubled gambling legislation. State Rep. Jose Felix Diaz,Ā the Miami Republican who chairs the House Regulatory Affairs Committee, filed his amendment Thursday, the day before the House is scheduled to begin its consideration of gambling legislation for 2016. Diaz was in the House’s Thursday floor session and couldn’t be reached. According to a bill comparison by LobbyTools, the biggest change is the deletion ofĀ language on advance deposit…

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Rick Scott says legislative inaction on Compact will cost jobs

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If lawmakers fail to act on the Seminole Compact, the Tribe will pursue its own nuclear option, laying off 3,700 workers statewide at its casinos, Gov. Rick Scott said Wednesday. The governor spoke to reporters after a meeting of the Florida Cabinet. “My responsibility was to work to get a compact done,” he said. “My team put together a very good Compact for the citizens of our state. It’s up to the Legislature to make their decision on what they…

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