An amended Florida Senate bill 408 passed the state's Regulated Industries Committee April 1 despite nearly two hours of testimony from those opposed to the legislation that would decouple Thoroughbred racing from gaming in the state. Tuesday's vote was 5-2 in favor of the bill.
Before hearing from 30 people—only one in support of the bill—and acknowledging about 40 others who waived their right to speak but opposed the bill, Senator Danny Burgess introduced an amendment to the bill. The amendment would not allow decoupling to take effect for seven years. Three years would need to pass before separating racing and gaming could be initiated. There would then be a four-year guarantee of racing. Burgess said that the "current structures and constructs of the purses and the awards" at Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs would stay intact for that duration of that span.
He said this amendment would "provide a much bigger runway" and a chance to "talk about viable alternatives" for the racing industry.
The decoupling bill is being championed by The Stronach Group, which operates Gulfstream Park as 1/ST Racing.
However, despite Tuesday's vote, the bill still needs to pass the Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government as well as the Rules Committee.
When asked by Senator Jim Boyd whether there was significance to the seven-year structure, Burgess said there is not, but that he is not viewing it as a solution but rather as an "opportunity to begin negotiations" that would satisfy all parties.
Many of the public speakers said that Thoroughbred racing brought in as much money or more to the state's economy as Major League Baseball's Spring Training and college athletics. To lose that, they said, would effectively kill the industry in the state.
Ocala-based equine veterinarian Jared High, the first to comment, said his practice has already lost business because of the threat of the bill passing. He hoped the committee could "see through a single corporation's masquerades and really understand the impact this could have going forward."
Francis Vanlangendonck of Summerfield Sales cited a recent op-ed written by Frank Stronach, who co-founded The Stronach Group with his daughter Belinda, which said the bill would have dire consequences.
Vanlangendonck was one who spoke as if an eventual decoupling was inevitable but hoped that voting down the bill would provide more time to work toward an agreement.
Those urging for more time said this entire process is unfolding too quickly. However, committee vice chair Jason Pizzo said that his first conversations on the topic came in October 2022.
"Gulfstream Park and the Florida breeders have been married for 15 years. ... We didn't know they wanted a divorce until three months ago. We need more time to work out this divorce. Vote no, give us a couple of years," Vanlangendonck said.
Several times Pizzo would ask commenters about statistics showing a decline in foals born in Florida as well as the industry receiving a state subsidy.
Senator Mack Bernard said, "Something is not working" and that he would vote to support the bill.
But Blaise Ingoglia gave a passionate defense of the horsemen and their concerns.
"I've been to the farms. I've seen how hard everyone works," he said. "And I think the people in this room who testified against this bill would agree with me is that not only is it like a way of life, it's also like a religion, it's a godly experience to be out in horse country.
"I'm 'no' today, but I hope this conversation that we're having today...because it appears that it's going to pass, that everyone can get in a room and try to figure out a grand bargain where we can have a win-win-win situation. What I'm seeing right now is that not everyone is winning, and I just cannot support it."
