State Capitol Briefs (Afternoon Edition) - Thursday, March 11, 2010

The News Service of Florida

VEGAS STYLE GAMING BEFORE SEMINOLE COMMITTEE

Florida could likely handle eight additional casinos, according to an analysis completed by the Office of Economic and Demographic Research. Amy Baker, the Legislature's chief economist, presented a variety of outcomes that could occur if the state decided to engage in Vegas style gaming. The analysis contemplates a scenario where the state auctions off gaming licenses and gaming executives would try to outbid each other to run a Florida casino. According to Baker, the state could receive anywhere from $435 million to $750 million license based on what has occurred in states that do operate casinos in this manner. The House Select Committee on Seminole Indian Compact Review is trying to hammer out a gaming deal with the Seminole Tribe that would give the tribe exclusive rights to operate specific games, but give the state a cut of the profits to the tune of $150 million per year. However, some committee members have broached the subject of operating Vegas-style gaming in Florida. Gaming executives from Las Vegas Sands Corp. are also presenting to the committee Thursday.

More from the News Service later Thursday

SFWMD BOARD VOTES TO EXTEND SUGAR DEAL CONTRACT

The South Florida Water Management District's governing board voted Thursday to extend the contract for the district's purchase of more than 70,000 acres of land from U.S. Sugar for Everglades restoration. The $536 million deal was thought to face an obstacle in diminishing tax collections that have put the district on wobbly financial footing – district officials have warned of a deficit if the purchase goes forward. The vote to extend a contract that had been set to expire keeps the proposed deal – a major priority for Gov. Charlie Crist – alive. “Today marks another significant step in the journey to truly save Florida’s Everglades,” Crist said in a statement. “I applaud the courage of the Governing Board of the South Florida Water Management District for standing firm and acting in Florida’s best interest. Their unanimous vote to extend the contract has set us on a course that will change the history of Florida for the better. I thank the members for recognizing the enormous restoration potential this acquisition represents, and for their commitment to doing so without raising taxes.”

FDLE FINDS NO EVIDENCE TO CONFIRM DOZIER ABUSE

After an exhaustive investigation that included interviews with about 100 people including dozens of former students found broad inconsistencies in reports of abuse at the Arthur Dozier School for Boys in Marianna prosecutors have concluded that there was insufficient evidence to pursue any criminal charges related to the allegations. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said that after 50 years “no tangible physical evidence was found to either support or refute the allegations of physical or sexual abuse,” and prosecutors agree. The investigative findings were sent to Fourteenth Circuit State Attorney Glenn Hess who declined to move forward on the case. Gov. Charlie Crist had asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to look into the school after abuse allegations from former students who were there in the 1950s and 1960s. At the time the school was known as the Florida School for Boys. Today, it remains a residential commitment facility for boys in the juvenile justice system. FDLE's report detailed the allegations of some former students, though noting they couldn't be corroborated or proven. Many of the former staff members alleged to have been involved are dead. FDLE did interview six former staff members and included information from a deposition of another.

VOUCHER BILL VOTE POSTPONED

The Senate committee examining an expansion of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, a voucher program, held off on a vote Thursday, saying that some technical glitches needed to be taken care of before it could be heard by the Senate Finance and Tax committee. The bill (SB 2126) would create additional scholarships and also up the amount per award under the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, a program that gives businesses a tax credit in exchange for a paying for a scholarship. About 25,000 students currently receive scholarships of $3,950 to attend a Florida private school through the program. A committee aide said the bill will likely be on next weeks' agenda.

UM WANTS NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE CENTER

Members of the Miami-Dade legislative delegation say Florida needs a second National Cancer-Institute-designated cancer center and are pushing for Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami to get the federal designation, saying it would expand access to research and new treatments. The NCI supports 65 NCI-designated cancer centers across the nation to do cancer research in addition to treating patients. Currently, the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa is the only such site in the state.

This information originally published on March 11, 2010.

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