Finish line
If all goes according to plan, the Special Session on gambling will end today.
Also, on today’s Sunrise:
— The Florida Senate approved the new Seminole Compact after lawmakers learned it will bring billions of dollars into the state coffers.
— Sen. Jeff Brandes disagrees, saying they sold out to the Seminole Tribe.
— But selling out was OK with the rest of the Senators. Brandes was the only one to vote against the deal … and the House will pass it today.
— A few ideas did not survive the Special Session. The House derailed plans to legalize wagering on fantasy football and other virtual sports. And the concept of allowing bingo at casinos went down in flames, thanks in part to opposition from Sen. George Gainer.
— Senate President Wilton Simpson says lawmakers can deal with fantasy football next year, but they won't be messing with bingo. Simpson says they're already expecting a legal challenge to the new Compact.
— Backers of the Compact know they may have run afoul of the state constitution, which requires voter approval of any casino expansion. They refused to put a transcript of their Session in the official journal of the Senate because it could be part of a court challenge.
— The Senate is done … now it's up to the House; they plan to be done before the end of the day.
— Another lawsuit is challenging Florida's new law that clamps down on voting by mail. Voting rights groups claim the real intent is to silence black and brown voters.
— Orlando Congresswoman Val Demings is telling her supporters to “stay tuned” as she considers a run for the U.S. Senate. POLITICO is reporting that she's planning to run against Marco Rubio; Demings responded with a tweet confirming that she's looking at Rubio’s seat.
— And finally, a Florida Man says he was speeding down Highway 1 in the Keys because he was trying to get home … to Cuba.