Editorial: Approve Seminole Tribe's compact

Monday, September 22, 2008  

"The Florida Supreme Court issued a victory for House Speaker Marco Rubio in his tussle with Gov. Charlie Crist, ruling in July that Crist lacked the authority to approve a gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe.

But the Seminole Tribe continues to offer blackjack and Vegas-style slot machines at its casinos, which has prompted a letter of protest from Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum to the National Indian Gaming Commission.

Crist never should have entered the agreement by himself - which called for the tribe to pay $50 million immediately, $175 million in the first two years and $150 million each year afterward. But the Legislature should have understood why Crist did it: The federal government was about to dictate the terms of an agreement for expanded gambling.

Now that the games are up and running, the Legislature needs to get on board and try to salvage the deal, instead of complaining to bodies that favor the move."

Get the Story:
Editoral: State must OK casino compact (The Fort Meyers News-Press 9/22)

Another Opinion:
Editorial: Restrict new gambling to new Seminole deal (The Palm Beach Post 9/21)