Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Wednesday he has concerns about bills that would decouple gambling from live thoroughbred racing at Gulfstream Park in Broward County and Tampa Bay Downs, which would erase a requirement for the facilities to hold live races to be able to operate cardrooms and, in the case of Gulfstream, slot machines
Speaking at a press conference in Ocala, the heart of thoroughbred country in Florida, the governor said he’s waiting to see how those bills unfold.
“If you put Florida first,” DeSantis said, “then you’re looking to make sure that Floridians can be successful. And the horse breeding is part of our state’s culture. It’s part of the culture here. I’m concerned with some of the things I hear about these proposals, about what that would mean for the viability of that going forward.”
