A controversial proposal that could have paved the way for a casino at the Fontainebleau Resort in Miami Beach was withdrawn from the Florida Senate committee agenda on Wednesday, following a strong opposition from a group of influential Miami billionaires.
The bill that sparked the casino showdown
The bill, SB 1054, sponsored by Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, would have allowed gambling permit holders to transfer their licenses to a property within 30 miles, as long as the new location is in the same county and meets certain zoning requirements. The bill was seen as a favor to Jeff Soffer, the billionaire owner of the Fontainebleau hotel and the Big Easy Casino in Hallandale Beach, who has been lobbying for years to move his gambling license to his iconic Miami Beach resort.
The bill had a companion measure in the House, HB 1127, sponsored by Rep. Alex Rizo, who received $15,000 from entities tied to Soffer for his political action committee. Soffer also donated more than $300,000 last year to the Republican Party of Florida and other PACs supporting state legislators.
The opposition from the anti-casino coalition
The bill faced fierce resistance from Miami Beach city officials and residents, who voted in 2017 to ban gambling in the city. They argued that a casino would ruin the city’s image, increase crime, traffic and pollution, and hurt local businesses and property values.
The anti-casino coalition also included some of the most powerful and wealthy figures in Miami, such as billionaire auto magnate Norman Braman, developer Armando Codina, and hedge fund tycoon Ken Griffin, who recently moved his Citadel and Citadel Securities headquarters from Chicago to Miami.
The group threatened to fly more than 100 people to Tallahassee on Monday to protest the bill at the Senate Regulated Industries committee hearing, using Braman’s plane and funds from Braman and Codina. They also launched a media campaign, with Griffin writing a letter to the editor in the Miami Herald, calling the bill a “bad bet for Florida” and a “legislative gimmick” that would undermine the 2018 constitutional amendment that gave voters the right to approve casino expansion.
The outcome of the casino saga
The pressure from the anti-casino group apparently worked, as the bill was pulled from the committee agenda less than three hours after it was posted on Wednesday. Senate President, who had previously deferred to the Miami-Dade delegation to decide on the bill, said in a statement that she asked to withdraw the bill “out of respect for constituents’ time and effort.”
Ingoglia still believes in the bill and hopes to bring it back next week, but acknowledged that he faces an uphill battle. The House sponsor, said he was disappointed by the Senate’s decision and hoped to find a compromise.
Soffer, the Fontainebleau owner, did not comment on the bill’s fate, but his spokesperson said he remains committed to bringing a casino to Miami Beach. Soffer has a close relationship with Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has traveled on his jet several times, but DeSantis has not taken a public position on the bill.
The casino saga is not over yet, as the state is also negotiating a new gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, which could have implications for the gambling landscape in Florida. However, for now, it seems that the Miami Beach casino plan has been dealt a major blow by the billionaires who opposed it.
