The Seminole Tribe offered the state of Florida tens of thousands of new jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues but a top Republican said lawmakers want to negotiate a new Class III gaming compact.

The tribe signed a compact with Gov. Charlie Crist (R) for slot machines and card games. Republicans went to court and the deal was struck down as invalid.

The tribe has continued to offer the games and has $288 million waiting in escrow to contribute to the state. The tribe said it will create up to 45,000 jobs as part of an expansion of its gaming enterprise.

But Rep. Bill Galvano (R), the acting chairman of the Select Committee on Seminole Indian Compact Review, said some of his colleagues don't believe card games are legal under state law. He said the committee will try to negotiate a new compact with the tribe.

Get the Story:
Seminoles try again for gambling deal with Florida (The Miami Herald 2/3)
Seminoles pitch gambling expansion to budget-strapped legislators (The South Florida Sun-Sentinel 2/3)
Tribe Offers Expansion Deal (The Tampa Bay Tribune 2/3)