After months of optimism about bringing a new state-of-the-art casino resort to Miami Beach, it appears it won’t happen anytime soon. Current governor and former 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis pushed hard to make the new casino bill happen, but despite his passionate efforts, he couldn’t sway Florida’s legislature.
Key Florida legislatures, including State House Speaker Paul Renner, appeared to be initially on board to finalize legislation this year, but the pressure from powerful billionaire lobbyists was too much to get through.
Arguably, Ken Griffin, a power hedge fund CEO in southern Florida, was the most prominent billionaire lobbyist who opposed the move.
The prospective casino bill was ultimately pulled off the agenda by State Senator Joe Gruters despite plans to have a public committee to advertise the benefits of the prospective Fontainebleau Hotel Resort. Besides CEO Ken Griffin, other prominent and wealthy Florida businessmen like Norman Braman said they would fly to the state capital, Tallahassee itself, to end the bill.
Braman has frequently donated to Republican campaigns, most notably Ron DeSantis’s Never Back Down campaign. Despite a strong start, DeSantis ultimately bowed out of the 2024 Presidential Race and officially endorsed former President Donald Trump.
Had the casino bill been successful, the plan was to build a casino inside the Fontainebleau Hotel. Billionaire and DeSantis backer Jeffrey Sotter lobbied passionately and donated money to make the new casino a reality, advertising that it would help fund county infrastructure projects.
If the name Fontainebleau sounds familiar, it was the resort that legends like Frank Sinatra frequented. The Fontainebleau was also where Goldfinger, one of the most successful and iconic James Bond films of all time, shot scenes. Sotter also has gambling licenses to operate in Broward County.
The bill would have allowed Sotter to shift slot machines and other licensed games to operate further inland in Miami-Dade and Broward counties while remaining a respectable distance from Tribally-owned casinos, most notably the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Another concern was the potential relocation of long-time residents who might have been priced out of the area.
The defeat of the Miami Dade Casino bill also calls into question about the future of legal Florida online casinos. Only online sports betting is permitted and controlled by Florida’s Seminole Tribe through legal compacts. If the Sunshine State were to legalize online gambling, they would need the cooperation and participation of the Seminole and Miccosukee tribes.
There is already speculation that the issue will resurface during the 2025 legislative session.
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