Florida Decoupling Bill Passes Second House Committee

Nearly three weeks after being approved by the Florida House of Representatives' Industries and Professional Activities Subcommittee, House Bill 881—which aims to decouple Thoroughbred racing and gaming licenses—passed its second committee Feb. 3 when the Commerce Committee voted for the bill to proceed. Unlike the subcommittee last month, Tuesday's 15-9 vote in favor of the bill did not split perfectly down party lines. Republican representatives David Borrero and David Smith joined Democratic representatives in voting against the bill. Republican representatives Mike Giallombardo and Brad Yeager were excused from the vote. With approval from a second committee, the bill will likely proceed to the House floor. If approved there, it will then go to the Senate. In the spring of 2025, decoupling legislation passed the House floor before the Senate declined to approve it after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he opposed the bill while speaking during the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale in April. READ: DeSantis' View on Decoupling Leaves Horsemen Hopeful The bill being approved by the House will come as no surprise, which is why Thoroughbred industry leaders have chosen to focus their efforts on defeating the bill in the Senate. Following the Jan. 14 approval by the Industries and Professional Activities Subcommittee, Thoroughbred Racing Initiative senior adviser Damon Thayer, a former Kentucky state senator, said Gulfstream Park operator 1/ST Racing had "the skids greased" in the House of Representatives. READ: Decoupling Bill Expectedly Passes FL House Committee "Our strength remains the Senate, and we are working with our supporters there," Thayer said after Tuesday's Commerce Committee vote. Rep. Adam Anderson, a Republican from Florida's 57th district who sponsors the bill, again attempted to frame the bill as beneficial to the Thoroughbred industry while telling lawmakers that he was "committed to this industry and committed to the racing community." Anderson's district includes the portion of Hillsborough County where Tampa Bay Downs is located. "I want to see (the racing industry) thrive, but I want to see it thrive independently because we value free-market principles," Anderson said. Anderson addressed concerns about the economic impact the bill could have by saying there was nothing in the bill that would cause racing to cease operating. However, a 2021 bill that decoupled non-Thoroughbred racing from gaming led to the quick demise of Florida's Quarter Horse and Standardbred racing industries. Gaming is typically more profitable than racing operations. Racing also requires significant land use for a racetrack and horse stabling. Standardbred track Pompano Park closed in April 2022 following that 2021 bill, and that impact was cited by Rep. Chip LaMarca, a Republican from Florida's 100th district, who still said he supported the current bill. "I'm supportive of the bill, but I have seen the results of decoupling firsthand with the closure of the Pompano harness track, which is near my district," LaMarca said. "I would hope there will be a continuing path forward to support Thoroughbred racing past decoupling, and I would welcome an opportunity for harness racing to come back. I support your bill, but I'd love to keep talking." Democratic ranking member Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, who lives in Gulfstream Park's Broward County, voiced strong opposition against the bill and stated her concern for the economic impact of removing an industry that has been a "revered tradition" for more than 80 years. "I find it very difficult to reconcile—when we're in the commerce committee, and we're here to support small businesses, last I checked—we're having people struggling with the economy now, struggling to find work, and we have legislation in front of us now that will literally decimate an industry," she said. Hunschofsky also reminded the committee of a 2005 vote allowing the public to decide if they wanted slot machines at racetracks. Hunschofsky said she participated in that vote herself, which saw 57% of Broward County residents vote in favor, and that she believes the voters should be given a say in whether they want gambling to take place in their county without the requirement of Thoroughbred racing. "We were asked if we wanted to allow gambling to take place at places like Gulfstream, where Gulfstream already had the horses," Hunschofsky said. "We weren't asked, do we just want to have random gambling anywhere in Broward County? It was specifically where horse racing is taking place." The public comment period was again filled with only opponents of decoupling, a point noted by Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association CEO and executive vice president Lonny Powell. "It seems like the only people that have come to the microphone in the past year, including this session, have been the people that oppose it," he told lawmakers. Powell further expanded in a statement after the meeting, "Notably, to date there has been zero public or racetrack testimony in support of decoupling. For a bill this controversial to advance without a single supportive witness is extraordinary. United with our fellow horsemen, breeders, owners, trainers, and industry partners, we remain committed to protecting this vital agricultural sector as the bill moves forward." Powell also stated that the industry is working on solutions to "Gulfstream's inevitable exit," but that the bill currently does not offer the proper time or support to produce a solution that benefits each party. The FTBOA holds a nonprofit Thoroughbred racing license for Marion County, where Ocala is located, granted in 2011. READ: Symposium: Ocala Track Proposed as Florida Lifeline "What the challenge is, right now, the way this (bill) is designed, the tracks get to exit for free not paying any tab. In fact, they shut off all the revenue to everybody," Powell said. "We now have to assume responsibility and economics of the horse side and the track side to get this done. We see it as part of a global gaming solution, which I think we all agree is needed here in Florida between all the different forms of gaming. "I am quite confident that before the next session, we'll have a proposed solution that could very well make winners of everybody around the table. That's one of the best ways to get this done, and that's what we're working on. We've gone public with this project, we have engaged outside expertise, and we've heard you (ask the industry) to come up with a solution."