Amendment 3 was recently passed this last 2018 election with an overwhelming majority resulting in 71% of Florida voters in approval compared to the 29% of Florida voters who opposed it. The amendment needed 60% supermajority vote in order to be approved which it reached with no problem. Major players in the support of voter control of gambling in Florida were Disney World and Seminole Tribe of Florida registered under one ballot measure committee, Voters in Charge who combined raised over $46 million. I believe whether in favor of or against casinos it should be up to voters to decide instead of being controlled solely by legislature, anything that incentivizes the community to cast their opinion is important.
Amendment 3 is titled, Voter Control of Gambling in Florida, to summarize, the amendment is focused on giving voters the exclusive right to choose whether or not they authorize casino gambling while not altering or impeding Native American Tribes in relation to the Federal Indian gaming Regulatory Act. (Florida Wins). Voters controlling gambling in Florida is actually not a new concept, according to Florida Chamber of Commerce, “for nearly a century approval of casino gambling was strictly left for voters to decide.” It was only in recent years that Florida legislature took it upon themselves to control gambling in Florida, a choice that seemed to not be appreciated by the community as the approval of the Amendment giving the choice back to voters was overwhelmingly high. This is important to point out because in a way, both options have already been tested, control used to be in the voters hands, it then went to legislature and now back in the hands of the community with such a solid decision shows that a majority of the people of Florida seem to know what they want and what works best.
Supporters of Amendment 3, in favor of restoring the choice of casino gambling to voters raised over $40 million more than those in opposition under the Vote No on 3 PAC. (Florida Department of State Division of Elections) A significant actor in this is none less than Florida’s main attraction and money maker, Disney World. Disney Worldwide Services Inc. donated a combined amount of $20.56 million in favor of Amendment 3 as a part of the Voters in Charge committee which as stated previously, raised a total of $46.15 million in support. Voters in Charge, Yes on 3, give three main reasons to vote yes on Amendment 3 which are as follows. First, Amendment 3 empowers voters- not politicians and lobbyists, it is explained that for a long time Florida voters were the voice which decided on issues regarding casino gambling, a voice that politicians took. Amendment 3 brings that opportunity back to the people of Florida and parallels them to other Americans who vote on casino issues. Next, Amendment 3 reduces casino corruption, it is estimated that casino gambling interests have given over 50 million dollars to Florida politicians, which has led to the controlling of politicians through the said money. This is avoided by putting voters in charge of decisions, limiting and hopefully eliminating the control of gambling interests to be centralized around massive monetary contributions. Lastly, Voters in Charge claim that Amendment 3 will now allow elected officials to focus on other, greater issues. As reported above, millions of dollars have gone to Florida politicians with regard to casino interest therefore it has claimed importance in the legislatures agenda. By removing the issues from the agenda and handing it to the people, politicians now have the ability to turn their attention towards other matters like education and the environment. Those in opposition, such as Senate President Bill Galvano, stated that it is “game over for the legislature” and with no control the Seminole Tribe will be in control. Along with this it is stated that lobbyists believe that a big issue that could arrive is the fact that from now on there needs to be 60% of voters to any issues such as expanding gambling. (Perry, Florida Phoenix) Senator Galvano’s statement is shut down by all those in favor or the Amendment passing, along with the wording of the Amendment itself which claims that the control will be in the people of Florida, not the Seminole Tribe. Along with this the Amendment states, “nothing herein shall be construed … or to affect any existing gambling on tribal lands pursuant to compacts executed by the state and Native American tribes pursuant to IGRA” which is important to note as this agreement the Native American tribes hold with gambling was established with the Florida legislature and as of now no action has been taken to change anything agreed upon between the two parties with the addition of this newly approved Amendment.
Something that is interesting is that not all the committees and groups who are in support of Amendment 3 are looking for more casinos in Florida but are against gambling and believe that with the Amendment giving voters the ability to decide on issues such as casino gambling increase there will be more restrictions on gambling in Florida. (League of Women Voters of Florida) While at the same time Mark Wilson, CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce argues that the casino industry is dependent on Florida for jobs but there could be serious consequences in doing so therefore voter input in necessary and valued in any steps taken forward with casino gambling businesses. (Wilson, Orlando Sentinel) Surprisingly, although it was approved by an outstanding percentage opposition from both sides of the spectrum were rampant in media outlets. With editorials such as The Florida Times, The Daily Commercial and Orlando Sentinel supporting it and editorials such as The Tampa Bay Times, The Sun-Sentinel and The Naples Daily News opposing Amendment 3.
I believe that this Amendment being approved this past midterm election was a really good thing. At this point in time I do not have a specific opinion on casino gambling. While I have been in a casino and I have family members who enjoy going on their free time in Puerto Rico, I have never participated and do not have a set feeling on whether or not casinos should be expanded in the state of Florida, become more regulated or stay as is. Aside from that, I still believe that this amendment being passed by voters is important and I personally voted yes on it. Although I do not know much about gambling I do know that it is important for voters voices to be heard and I believe that this amendment does just that. Having to reach a 60% supermajority to make decisions about future casino actions, is an added aspect that in my opinion, is beneficial in that the issues being decided by the people of Florida will have a big weight due to the size and impact of the industry. Amendment 3 was not one I saw much advertising on personally, or heard about through social media but it is one that holds importance and one people should be more interested in, again not necessarily just about the casino gambling, but the fact that the people of Florida whether they knew it or not, had something taken away from them which they now have back. It is critical to keep in check what the government is doing for us and what we are doing for the government, all voters should be more aware of what their elected officials are doing on their behalf. Having a greater role in the government by voting should be something sought after by the people, while having a boundary between everyday citizens and the government is important what that barrier ends up being is voting which is why it is important to participate and use that right on issues you agree and disagree with. Voting is important, in all aspects, the voice of the people, and in this case more specifically the voice of the people of Florida, matters; when it comes to issues such that Amendment 3 speaks of regarding casino gambling, the people should be informed and have an opinion on what they believe would be the best action taken. It is important that people have the ability to do that because with expanding or reducing casino activity in Florida the people of Florida are directly affected. Jobs, health care, families, the economy, are all tied together to every action taken with respect to casinos, so leaving those decisions to be taken by the majority of Florida residents who vote for their opinion, instead of politicians who will most likely not be directly affected, is simply fair and reasonable.
The voter control of gambling in Florida, Amendment 3, is a key amendment that was added to the Florida Constitution just this past month whether or not one is for or against casinos and gambling. Not only did it meet the supermajority needed to add it to the Florida Constitution it exceeded it by over 10 percent. What this shows is that people in Florida want their voice back and their votes counted. A matter which the people of Florida used to decide on for years which was taken from then and decided upon by politicians in Tallahassee, is now back in the hands of the community. This amendment isn’t pitting people’s opinions against each other or asking voters to decide between Republican or Democrat ideals, it has given back the people the opportunity for them to decide what they believe is best for their state with regard to casino gambling. While it may seem like something of little importance to some, it is critical to reiterate the amount of money that has been attributed to these issues in the Florida legislature that equates to time. People who may think it has little importance and put other things above it may not have had those issues they value more taken care of as politicians have spent time on casino issues due to the price tag attached to it. With Disney World backing the Amendment there is little to no surprise the amount of money that was raised in support of the Amendment while it was still in the process of being approved unlike the organizations who were in opposition whose Vote No on 3 PAC highest contributor donated $1.63 million (versus Disney Worlds $20 million) which owns and operates Magic City Casino and operates the Flagler Greyhound Track which is a dog and horse racing facility. (Bloomberg) To conclude, as written by Voters in Charge, “[Amendment 3] was written by voters, for voters”, more than a million Florida residents signed petitions to even put Amendment 3 on the ballot. That initiative in itself shows the importance Amendment 3 was for voters, to get their control of gambling back and take it away from those politicians in Tallahassee who took away something that was not established for them in the first place. As I stated previously my care is not in gambling or the casinos but it is to appreciate what Amendment 3 does in giving the people of Florida the control they should have always had. As stated by Mark Wilson in a guest commentary for the Orlando Sentinel, the Amendment is “simply reinforcing language already in the constitution” which gives Florida voters the final say on casino and gambling decisions, something which was muted and in a way ignored by those same members of legislature who took control of these issues while taking it away from voters years ago. Now that Amendment 3 has passed Florida voters are taking the control away from legislature and with that are quickly and easily reducing a significantly large amount of corruption that has been infecting the decision making of politicians and lobbyists in recent years. Now with this gained control, I hope that people not just in Florida but all over the United States start to realize the importance of voting, Amendment 3 passed here in Florida, and now Florida voters have control of what happens with casinos and gambling, and as a continuation of that whenever the people feel like something should be different, or believe it should stay the same, it is critical that they go out and vote for what they believe is best.