Florida Governor Rick Scott FOR SALE....REAL CHEAP!

Two weeks after Gov. Rick Scott signed a compact that would extend and expand the Seminole Tribe of Florida's gaming operations, a donation to Scott's political committee by a gaming conglomerate is heightening legislative scrutiny of the proposed deal.

Gaming conglomerate's donation to Gov. Scott draws scrutiny

By Troy Kinsey, Capitol Reporter

TALLAHASSEE --

Two weeks after Gov. Rick Scott signed a compact that would extend and expand the Seminole Tribe of Florida's gaming operations, a donation to Scott's political committee by a gaming conglomerate is heightening legislative scrutiny of the proposed deal.

Among other things, the deal would make available a slot machine gaming license that Genting could be in a prime position to secure after its five-figure donation to Scott, who is widely expected to run for U.S. Senate in 2018.

For years, Genting executives have been prodding legislators to allow the company to build a multibillion-dollar resort casino in Miami.


During his announcement of the compact earlier this month, Scott was mum on the potential benefits for Genting and instead keyed in on a clause requiring that the Seminole Tribe pay the state $3 billion over the seven-year life of the deal.

"This is a $3 billion compact," he said. "It puts a cap on the Seminole Indian gaming and it limits the expansion of gaming in the state, so this does the right thing."

However, contrary to the governor's promotional comments, the compact would expand tribal gaming by allowing the Seminoles to run new Las Vegas-style games - craps and roulette - in addition to the blackjack and baccarat card games allowed under a previous compact signed by former Gov. Charlie Crist. Under Scott's language, the tribe wouldn't be allowed to build any new casinos.

Between the proposed expansion of tribal gaming and the appearance of the Genting contribution to Scott, many already-skeptical lawmakers are predicting a tough road to legislative ratification of the compact.

"If we're going to talk about revitalizing or changing the compact, let's make sure it's good for Floridians," Sen. Dwight Bullard, D-Miami, said of crafting a new compact.


http://mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2015/12/24/gaming_conglomerate_.html

Florida Governor Rick Scott: Sold for $20,000!

RWM

Days after compact deal decided, Governor Scott political committee receives donations from Resorts World Miami

 Marie Kelley

 December 26, 2015

Just three days after Florida Governor Rick Scott signed a new gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe, a company that could benefit from the deal, wrote a huge check to Scott’s political committee. Resorts World Miami, is owned by the Genting Group, a gaming company based in Malaysia. The donation was $20,000.

The check was sent to the Let’s Get To Work committee of Scott, on December 10th. It was on the 7th of December that Scott announced he had signed a new compact with The Seminole Tribe of Florida. With the new compact, the tribe has exclusive rights to be the sole operator of craps, roulette and blackjack in the state.

However, the deal also opens up for a gaming expansion, especially in the southern portion of the state. This is where the Genting Group would like to build a casino resort, to be located on the Biscayne Bay. The casino would be located where the Miami Herald building was located.

With the compact, the tribe must make payments to the state, even if they face an increase in competition from the Broward slots casino or a new casino in Miami. The Florida Legislature must still approve the deal before it will be valid but the compact has already been somewhat received well by lawmakers of the state.

This year alone, $120,000 in donations have already been given by Resorts World Miami to the state of Florida, but the $20,000 check to Scott was the largest sent by the company since March 3rd, when they gave $50,000 to the Republican Party of Florida.

Resorts World Miami is not the only company to donate to the political parties of Florida. For the past three years, the Seminole Tribe has donated over $2.7 million to as many as 90+ politicians with $500,000 going towards the Let’s Get To Work committee of Scott.

https://news.worldcasinodirectory.com/days-after-compact-deal-decided-governor-scott-political-committee-receives-donations-from-resorts-world-miami-19823

Poarch Creek to Gov. Rick Scott: Pot or Slots!

 

OR

Poarch Creek offer choice between gambling and marijauna to Gov. Scott

From staff reports · February 21, 2015

The Associated Press is reporting that the Alabama-based Poarch Creek Band of Indians wants to move gambling sites into Florida. Facing opposition, tribal leaders say they try a new negotiation strategy.

Rebuffed so far by Gov. Rick Scott, the Poarch Creek Band of Indians is suggesting it might adopt a hardball negotiating stance: Let us offer gambling in a few Florida locations, or we could consider growing and selling marijuana on our property.

Tribal leaders are contesting their right to build a gambling site on the Florida side of the Florida/Alabama line near the Wind Creek Casino they already operate in Atmore, Ala.
Read the full story here.


http://pensacolatoday.com/2015/02/poarch-creek-offer-choice-between-gambling-and-marijauna-to-gov-scott/

Poarch Creeks To Rick Scott: Let Us Open Casino In North Escambia, Or We’ll Start Selling Pot

February 21, 2015

A single acre of land in North Escambia may be taking center stage in the future of gambling in Florida, or it may just become a one-stop marijuana shop.

The Poarch Band of Creek Indians really want the small parcel in the Nokomis community to be the home of their next gaming facility. They are currently constructing a large metal building that covers a majority of the acre, about five miles west of Highway 97 on Nokomis Road. They are officially calling the structure a “warehouse”, but its true future use remains to be seen.

http://www.northescambia.com/2015/02/poarch-creeks-to-rick-scott-let-us-open-casino-in-north-escambia-or-well-start-selling-pot

Did the Gambling Industry Lose a BET in Florida.....?

It's difficult to know how to label BUYING PREDATORY GAMBLING SUPPORT with Campaign Contributions....Florida seems EASY and CHEAP!

VOTE BEWARE!

When a candidate you might vote for has GOBS OF CASH, you might just want to question where it came from!

Wondering what Genting, Las Vegas Sands and the Rooneys think about Rick Scott now that they know he was gonna screw them?

By Peter Schorsch on September 29, 2014

 

 

Gambling interests have donated more than $3.4 million to Florida lawmakers, mostly Republicans, since 2012.

Much of this money has come from gaming companies who would like to see full-blown casinos permitted in the state, specifically destination resort casinos in South Florida. Genting, Las Vegas Sands, and several other companies have spent millions on campaign contributions and lobbyists with this goal in mind. Since last year, Genting companies have donated more than $1.1 million to Florida politicians, according to state filings. Sheldon Adelson, whose Las Vegas Sands is the world’s largest casino operator, donated $250,000 to Rick Scott’s campaign in 2012 — that year’s biggest gift.

Despite this largesse, gambling interests have little to show for their investment in the political process.

The Legislature in 2012 rejected a Genting-backed proposal that would have allowed the Kuala Lumpur-based company to build a $3.8 billion casino resort. During the last two legislative sessions, efforts to expand gambling have not got out the gate.

Supposedly it has been the conservative Republicans who have been the obstacle to expanded gaming. However, a new report from the Associated Press suggests it’s not just GOP lawmakers in the way of Genting, Sands, et al. blocking gambling expansion, it’s Governor Rick Scott as well.

Scott’s staff nearly reached a multi-billion dollar deal with the Seminole Indian tribe that would have allowed it to add roulette and craps at its South Florida casinos.

The deal, which was scuttled last spring amid resistance from state legislators, also would have opened the door for the Seminoles to build a casino in the Fort Pierce area and would likely have blocked construction of any Las Vegas-style casinos in Miami for the next seven years.

The documents released by the Scott administration four months after the AP first requested them show that the incumbent governor is open to shifting his stance on gambling. Scott previously has been viewed as quiet supporter of opening major casinos in South Florida.

Lobbyists for these interests say that the AP report is “old news” and that if this deal had been presented to the Legislature, it would have either been amended to allow for destination resorts in South Florida or scuttled altogether.

That assessment may be true. Or it could be revisionist history. Or, as in the case of allowing the Seminoles to build a casino in Fort Pierce, it could be a surprise to most everyone (the powerful Rooney family, which owns the Palm Beach Kennel Club, must have looovvveeeddd the idea of new competition just an hour away).

But what this now-dead deal really looks like is an another attempt by Republican leadership to string along Genting, Sands, and other gambling interests in order to raise money from them during a crucial election cycle. Not that any of these interests would have not contributed to Republican legislative candidates, but I wonder if one of them — knowing then what is known today — would have hedged their bets and broken away from Scott or even for Charlie Crist? Probably not.

What the AP story also makes clear is that how to regulate gaming in Florida will be one of the dominant issues during the 2015 legislative session. Or for however long Republican leaders can string along the well-healed gaming interests.




http://www.saintpetersblog.com/archives/161057