More than 600,000 signatures have been gathered to back a proposed constitutional amendment that is aimed at put limits to the gambling market’s expansion in the state of Florida, according to amendment’s supporters.
The amendment has been proposed by the political committee Voters in Charge. According to the Committee, the proposed changes are currently over halfway towards the 1.1 million signatures goal set, in order to reach the necessary number of 766,200 valid petitions to see the proposed amendment appear on the 2018 General Election ballot.
Voters in Charge Committee’s Petition
The Chairman of Voters in Charge, John Sowinski, explained that a large number of Florida residents sign the petition every week, so the backers of the amendment were heading to the right direction in order to achieve their goal of getting enough signatures for ballot placement by the end of the year.
Mr. Sowinski revealed in a statement that the Committee looked forward to being on the 2018 ballot. He further explained that the organisation was to follow an aggressive campaign across the state of Florida that will see the Committee call the competent authorities to give their approval to casino gambling in Florida. According to the information revealed by the organisation’s chairman, the required constitutional changes are aimed to make sure that the state residents will be given their exclusive right to make decisions in terms of casino gambling and its authorisation in the region.
In addition, Mr. John Sowinski currently heads No Casinos, an organisation that opposes casino expansion across the state. The political committee and the No Casino group, however, are separate entities, each of which is fighting against Florida’s gambling market expansion.
According to Division of Elections records, the constitutional changes offered by the “Voter Control of Gambling” officially had 274,282 verified signatures as of yesterday, October 2nd.
Amendment for Ballot Placement
The amendment for ballot placement required by the Voters in Charge Committee has already been given the green light by Florida’s Supreme Court, despite the fact that two of the Justices – R.Fred Lewis and Ricky Polston – disagreed with the decision. According to the two of them, it is not made absolutely clear to the public that the proposed changes may have a massive effect on slot machines approved by referendums held across the country.
That concern does not lack logical explanation. Earlier, the same Supreme Court of the state of Florida has also ruled unanimously that counties passing local referendums that allow slots machines would be suspended from offering them. This decision was explained with the fact that there were no provisions in state law which granted any authority with the powers to regulate slot machine gaming on state level.
Gambling issues have been a hot topic lately in the state of Florida. The legal issues between the state and the local Seminole Tribe have been recently resolved with an agreement that put an end to the long-time legal dispute about the right of the Seminole Tribe to offer blackjack tables on the territory of the state.
- Author
Daniel Williams
