POLITICS

Florida senator calls for ending greyhound racing

T.S. Jarmusz
The Daytona Beach News-Journal
After the issue has failed to gain much traction in the Legislature, some lawmakers are proposing an amendment to Florida's constitution that would do away with dog racing. If the measure moves forward, more than 60 percent of voters in the 2018 general election would need to agree to force the ban. [News-Journal/David Tucker]

Florida Sen. Tom Lee is wagering that if voters have their say, the sport of greyhound racing will soon be dead.

Lee, along with former state Senate President Don Gaetz, serves on the state’s 37-member Constitution Revision Commission, which meets every 20 years to review proposed changes to Florida’s constitution. The two have proposed a constitutional amendment that would reduce the number racing days by one-third in the 2019-2020 state fiscal year and two-thirds in the following year, ultimately banning the sport by 2021.

“There’s a lot of news stories about the treatment of these animals, how they’re living, how they’re dying, and how they are being induced to perform better through some of these performance enhancing drugs like cocaine,” Lee said of why he's supporting an amendment. “At some point, it just becomes unconscionable.” Animal rights groups have long pressed the legislature to end the sport – in which more than 20 greyhounds tested positive for cocaine this year and nearly 440 have died since the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering began tracking dog deaths in 2013. Sixty of those fatalities occurred at the Daytona Beach Racing and Card Club or a nearby kennel that houses racing greyhounds.

But tracks can't simply stop having races, even if they want to. State law requires "racinos" that host card games to also hold dog races, and efforts to repeal the law have caught legislators in a tug of war.

Pro-racing groups have argued the reports of cruelty are overblown, not indicative of the sport, and that the industry provides a significant economic boon to the state.

Fans and track patrons bet more than $80 million on live greyhound racing last year, according to Jack Cory with the Florida Greyhound Association. Moreover, the industry generated $11 million in revenue for the state, and it creates more than 3,000 jobs in Florida, he added.

Daytona’s track employs 153 people in race-related operations. Their salaries, combined with other non-track workers like dog trainers, kennel operators and helpers, total more than $5 million, said Fred Guzman, president and general manager of both the Daytona Beach and Orange City racing and card clubs.

“Losing greyhound racing would be devastating to our long-term employees,” Guzman said in an email. “We have a number of employees that have been with us for over 30 years.”

With the venue being billed as Daytona’s second-highest rated activity on the online travel site TripAdvisor, its elimination would have a negative effect on the city’s tourism industry, Guzman said.

Calling the measure "inappropriate," Cory said constitutional amendments should be reserved for issues pertaining to inalienable rights.

“The proposal is bad for Florida, bad for the greyhounds and not something that that should be in the constitution,” Cory said, adding that the policy decision should be left to Legislature.

But lawmakers have butted heads on the issue for decades.

As senate president, Gaetz twice proposed legislation to ban greyhound racing. Both proposals died in the House.

Lawmakers’ most recent iteration to end the sport was muddied by a provision that would have allowed slot machines in eight counties. That proposal died in May after the House and Senate failed to reach a consensus.

Lee said the perpetual stalemate often was caused from "horse-trading" around the core issue. 

“For over a decade, the Legislature has fought to end greyhound racing, but special interests derail the issue every year," he said. "Now is our opportunity to finally end the mistreatment of greyhounds, reduce the amount of gambling in our state, and restore community values."

Unlike past measures to end or reduce racing, this proposal is different in that voters — rather than what some dismiss as the lobbyist-heavy Legislature — would decide it. As a constitutional amendment, it also would be a “clean” proposal, in that no other riders or provisions that could dilute or expand gambling could be attached to it.

Putting the matter before voters circumvents the incessant gridlock that has plagued previous proposals, said Carey Theil, executive director of animal rights nonprofit GREY2K USA Worldwide.

“The greyhound industry has an army of lobbyists that work for both the tracks and the greyhound breeders. ... That’s why we’ve seen legislative proposals get muddied with other unrelated issues,” Theil said. “I think the real question is, ‘Is the (Constitution Revision Commission) going to listen to the dog track lobbyists who have or been fighting humane proposals in the Legislature for years? Or are they going to take some time to listen to voters on this?’”

The proposal has a long way to go. After public hearings, any remaining proposals must pass the commission’s final vote. Proposed constitutional amendments then go to Florida’s 2018 general election ballot where they need pass with at least 60 percent of the vote to become law.

And with an issue as divisive as dog racing, that won't occur without a fight.

"I know there’s a full-blown lobbying effort to try and kill (the proposal),” Lee said. “As far as the public is concerned, it’s widely popular.”

Guzman countered the sport of dog racing is popular enough that he didn't think the measure would pass.

“Greyhound racing has been a part of the social fabric of Florida since 1925. We have generations of Floridians and tourists that support us,” he said. “I am confident that the 60 percent hurdle will be unsurmountable.”