New Florida Decoupling Bill in Senate Joins Similar Filing in House

[Wandering Eyes]

A Florida senator pre-filed Thoroughbred decoupling legislation Friday that contains similar language to a bill that got introduced pre-session in that state's House of Representatives 17 days ago.

This latest move was expected, according to a Jan. 9 post by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association (FTBOA) on the X social media platform.

“The FTBOA built Florida's protective framework. A Senate companion is how these bills move, and we are prepared,” said Lonny Powell, the FTBOA's chief executive officer, in the X post.

Like HB 881 from Rep. Adam Anderson Dec. 23, SB 1564 authored by Sen. Nick DiCeglie Jan. 9 would allow Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs to be able to cease live racing while retaining their gaming rights, provided they give notice of such suspension as of July 1, 2027.

After that notice, there would be a stipulation that racing would be required to continue for at least three years before either Gulfstream or Tampa could pull the plug entirely on the sport.

The Senate version contained differences from the House version related to the possible transference of racing permits inside and outside of counties and also to requirements for referendums.

Strikethroughs and legalese, though, made key differences in the two provisions difficult to parse.

“Regardless of the confounding provisions, this is decoupling,” Powell's quote on X continued.

“Alongside our fellow horsemen, breeders, owners, trainers, and industry partners, we have defeated every decoupling attempt,” Powell said.

“HB 881 and SB 1564 are the latest threats. They will not be the last. And like every threat before, we will oppose them,” Powell said.

The House goes into session Monday, Jan 12, with the Senate following the next day.

 

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