Florida is a place of strong opposing forces and that has been going on for quite some time now. Recently, the Seminole Tribe of Florida joined forces with Disney and cashed out $10 million in order to stop the gambling expansion that has been happening in this American state. This is not the first time that these two organizations are opposing the gambling trend and this time they even want to sway the opinions of the voters due to the election that will happen in November in the Sunshine State. The Seminole Tribe is the Native-American tribe that is mostly responsible for the Hard Rock brand, which also exists in Florida. They combined their efforts with Disney, and they have paid $36 million so far to the organization called Voters in Charge.
The purpose is to Promote
The purpose of this group is to stop the actions of promoting gambling in Florida, ultimately advocating for the residents of this state to say whether they would like to have more venues for gambling or not. The basis for their claims is the Amendment 3 which puts residents to power in this case (and every other similar case, for that matter). The reasons why these two organizations are the loudest when it comes to opposing gambling expansion seems somehow natural. First of all, Disney is a family-friendly place and they have one of their attractions in Kissimmee, Florida, called Walt Disney World. They believe that more casinos in this state will ultimately negatively affect their business. On the other hand, the Seminoles have a lot of venues in Florida and they are all casinos actually. It seems only natural that they do not want to face competition in this state and that their casinos are doing pretty good on their own.
Framework Behind It
The legislative framework is such that the only one who decides whether gambling operations will be expanded or not is the state legislature. Amendment 3 states that the choice is only in the hands of those who vote and it would require at least 60% of approvals for the measure to be passed. In order to succeed, Voters In Charge needs to face the two different action committees. One is called Vote NO on 3 and the other Citizens for the Truth About Amendment 3. Both these organizations have huge budgets and want to defeat the amendment. The financial support for them mostly comes from the big gambling companies that are aiming Florida as their next stop for building new casinos. Voting Against Amendment 3 could put Florida up there with the current leaders in the gambling and sports betting industry and generate huge revenue from the new venues that would open. Furthermore, it would be an excellent opportunity for new jobs to emerge in this state. Voting For Amendment 3 would place Florida way back, and while other states would profit from gambling activities, Florida would sink.
