Editorial: Laying blame for gaming expansion

Thursday, May 21, 2009  

"The blame game has started in Tallahassee in the wake of the capitulation of the House of Representatives to the Senate resulting in passage of a gambling package that authorizes the governor to negotiate a gambling compact with the Seminole Indian Tribe and advances the pari-mutuels’ interests across the state. Crist still has to sign the bill, which is a foregone conclusion, and the Seminoles have to agree to the compact, which seems likely.

Indeed, there’s plenty of blame to go around for the gambling expansion.

Of course, the blame largely belongs to Gov. Charlie Crist, although I’m sure he would see it rather as credit due him.

In a 2006 interview with me, Crist said he opposed gambling expansion—a position he repeated to many other news media while campaigning for office. I never believed him, and my skepticism was proven valid when after only 11 months in office Crist negotiated a gambling compact with the Seminoles that three prior governors (of both political parties) refused to do.

After the Florida Supreme Court invalidated Crist’s compact last year, ruling he lacked authority to do it— especially since it included illegal games, our governor aggressively and shamelessly lobbied the Legislature to pass the compact. Indeed, he personally showed up several times at the legislative conference committee, sitting on the front row to pressure legislators. He also implied he would veto certain bills favored by legislators if they did not pass a gambling bill.

In the Legislature, Crist found an ally not only in the Senate, of course, but also in the supposedly anti-gambling House of Representatives. Both bodies deserve their share of the blame for the gambling expansion."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Who’s to blame for the gambling expansion? (The Florida Baptist Witness 5/21)