Two Florida Counties Split Over Gambling

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The rejection of slot machines in Miami-Dade County could mean more regulations on the machines in Broward County, state lawmakers said Wednesday as they assessed the political landscape after the split South Florida vote.

Broward County voters approved the slot machines at race tracks and jai-alai frontons on Tuesday, but Miami-Dade County voters rejected them.

State and gaming industry profit would be affected by taxes and regulations placed on the machines by the Legislature.

“There will be increased momentum for stronger regulation of this industry due to the fact it had lukewarm interest in southeast Florida,” said state Senate President Tom Lee.

Those regulations could include the number and kind of machines, the hours of operations and the size of the prizes. They also must decide the tax rate and how the money, earmarked for education, would be spent.

Gov. Jeb Bush, who opposes gambling, said the Miami-Dade County vote opened the door to tighter regulations in Broward County. But, he warned, the state couldn’t go overboard or it would wind up in court.

“Some of the dynamics may change a bit but we still have a duty to implement this for Broward County and that’s what we intend to do,” Bush said.