"Gov. Charlie Crist gambled and lost on his bid to extend special privileges to Seminole casinos.

In a unanimous decision, the Florida Supreme Court last week properly ruled that Crist had exceeded his executive powers last November when he signed an agreement with the tribe that allowed it to operate Vegas-style casino games, such as blackjack and baccarat, that are illegal everywhere else in the state. In return, the state would reap a windfall in revenues - $50 million upfront from the tribe, and more than $100 million a year for the next 25 years. To a cash-hungry state, that was like finding an oasis in the desert.

It might have been a good deal for both Seminoles and taxpayers, but the governor is not the one who can unilaterally create it. The court's seven justices agreed, and correctly so, that only the Legislature is empowered to approve such arrangements.

It's not hard to see why Crist was moved to take the initiative. Federal law allows Indian tribes to host gambling on their sovereign lands in states that permit gambling, but the tribes and the states have to negotiate the deals. Florida and the Seminoles have struggled for years to reach an agreement, to the point that the tribe didn't believe the Legislature really wanted to come to terms. Finally, Washington gave the Sunshine State a deadline to make a deal or have one dictated to it, so Crist stepped in at the last minute."

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EDITORIAL: Crist's dirty dealing (The Panama City News Herald7/9)