Cnn
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An thrust of the Governor of Florida, Ron Desantis, to repress voting initiatives could have unforeseen consequences for the commercial interests of the most eminent resident of his state: President Donald Trump.
Desantis, a Republican, proposed a radical overhaul of citizens led by citizens to the constitution of the State – including new restrictions which, according to opponents, would make almost impossible for the Floridians to force a change in the law of State by voting referendums.
If achieved, this could complicate Trump’s long -standing ambition to establish a casino in the Miami region. Indeed, the constitution of Florida indicates that any expansion of the game requires the approval of voters thanks to a constitutional amendment initiated by citizens.
The potential impact on Trump’s commercial empire adds an unexpected wrinkle to the last efforts of the governor to consolidate political power in Florida. And this is another turn of winding and sometimes a tense relationship between Desantis and Trump as they coexist in their shared backyard.
We do not know if Desantis is aware of Trump’s benefits if his plan succeeds. A spokesperson for the Governor’s office refused to comment, rather pointing to Desantis public statements on his proposals, which do not deal with their implications for the game. While Desantis and Trump did not speak for a while after their bitter Republican presidential primary of 2024, they have since made peace. Desantis earlier this month attended an event that Trump organized for Republican governors in his Mar-A-Lago field, and the two recently played golf.
Changes to laws in Florida could come quickly. Desantis called on State legislators to a special session from Monday and puts them pressure to quickly move on their plan – the one who hinders the voters of the avenue have used over the years to bypass the republican control of republican control Tallahassee and promulgate popular measures.
In Florida, citizens can force a referendum to the state scale to modify the Constitution if they collect petition signatures of 8% of the voting population – or around 900,000 people – supporting their cause.
Under the bill published by the Desantis Office, groups seeking to change the Constitution could not collect signatures thanks to the most traditional method: the approach of people in public with a clipboard and a pen and asking them to sign a petition. Instead, each Florida should individually ask their local election office a form to fill out and sign the expression expressing their support for the initiative.
The collection of more than two signatures other than yours would become a crime of the third degree in Florida, according to the bill, essentially prohibits organized petition training.
“This would almost destroy the initiative process of citizens in the state of Florida. Period. End of history, “said Ben Pollara, a Democratic consultant who supervised successful referendums in Florida to increase the minimum wage and legalize medical marijuana. “It is not like in the past where they make it more difficult or more expensive. It kills him. This is not something you can go through.
Desantis said that the proposed legislation was necessary to “strengthen the integrity” of the Florida petition process. He said that Florida’s ballots have been diverted in recent years by special interests, which often spend millions of dollars by paying professional pickers to obtain their priorities before voters.
“Our constitution should not be for sale at most offenders, so the reform is necessary,” said Desantis earlier this month.
The legislators did not indicate if they were ready to follow DESANTIS on this path. In a rare and amazing public reprimand of the executive of their party, the republican legislative leaders expressed in a letter Their skepticism about the need for a special session. DESANTIS also asks the legislators to further align the Florida immigration laws with Trump’s security and expulsion of borders when they meet this week.
The Seminole tribe of Florida, which operates casinos throughout the state and has exclusive rights to offer sports betting and table games like Blackjack, becomes one of the greatest beneficiaries of the proposed changes in Desantis. A 2018 constitutional amendment approved by voters – after a campaign of $ 46 million mainly funded by the tribe and the Walt Disney Co. – explicitly demands that the Floridians adopt a voting initiative led by citizens to change the Constitution before the game.
As it stands, the changes proposed by Desantis could effectively guarantee an impenetrable monopoly on most forms of play for the tribe and alleviate Trump’s dreams to one day operate a Las Vegas style casino in the state of Sunshine, said experts in game law.
“This proposal would seal competition for sports betting and casino game in Florida,” said Daniel Wallach, the founder of a law firm focused on the game that advised stakeholders in the sports industry, Fantastic sports websites and casinos on game regulations. “It is unprecedented for a state as populated as Florida.”
The 2018 amendment is already an important obstacle to the expansion of the game. The well -funded efforts supported by the Casino Las Vegas Sands power station and the online sports betting companies Fanduel and Draftkings have failed in the years that followed referendums of play on the Florida ballot.
Another challenge stems from the single law of the state of Florida which obliges 60% of voters to approve a constitutional amendment, a high threshold which looked closely at voting initiatives last year – one to legalize recreational marijuana and another Develop access to abortion – did not manage to meet.
“Today is already difficult,” said John Lockwood, a Florida lawyer who has a vast experience in navigation in state game policies. “You adopt this legislation, and you would completely close the door of any new non -trical competition in Florida.”
Trump or any other person who tries to build a casino in Florida “would perform this legislation head -on” if she passes, added Lockwood.
Wallach has agreed that the proposal “would go to the surface so that Trump has more difficult to make a full seaside resort of Vegas style game or a casino of brick and mortar”, although he said that there could be any Creative work with the tribe if the two parties were motivated.
He would not increase Trump’s unique swinging on the Floridians to overcome the obstacles that Desantis presented for future referendums.
“He is one of the few individuals can be able to whip this kind of signature support,” said Wallach.
The Florida Seminole tribe has financially supported Desantis’ political ambitions over the years, including its republican presidential primary race against Trump. The tribe donated $ 2 million to a state political committee which finally financed a federal super heat pac aligned by Desantis, Never Back Down, which supported its recent white house failure. The tribe also donated $ 1 million directly to Never Back Down, and it gave the Republican Governors Association several million, one of the best donors of Desantis in 2022 while he was building a war box to present to the presidency.
Donations intervened after Desantis allocated exclusive – and very lucrative rights to the tribe to exploit mobile sports betting and in person in the state as part of a new game compact, the two parties signed in 2021.
When asked if the Seminole tribe supported Desantis’ proposed legislation, spokesperson Gary Bitner told CNN in an email: “The Seminole tribe of Florida does not comment on the proposed legislation or” What if? “Scenarios.
Trump, Who Ooce Operated Casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Whose Name Adorns A Golf Resort in Doral and A Condominium Tower in Sunny Isles Beach in Florida, has explored several avenues to expand gaming in south florida over his decades operating business in the State.
His efforts to ensure a game license here has become a flash point during the 2016 Republican Presidential Primary. One of his rivals, the former Florida governor, Jeb Bush, suggested in a debate in Trump in The 1990s tried to buy a license through its campaign donations.
Trump failed, said Bush because “I’m not going to be bought by anyone.”
Trump called this “totally false” statement.
“I promise that if I wanted, I would have obtained it,” replied Trump during their debate.
It appeared for a while that the Trump organization was getting closer to obtaining a game license in Florida. The compact of the state game in 2021 included a provision that prevented the seminoles from challenging a new game installation of more than 15 miles “in a straight line” of the Hottage Hard Rock and Casino Hollywood, belonging to the tribe.
Trump’s doral resort is just outside 15 miles from the casino. Voters should always approve a new casino during a referendum.
The Trump organization did not respond to a request for comments.
Eric Trump, who resumed the management of the Trump organization shortly after his father won the presidency for the first time, said to the Washington Post at that time that the Doral property was “unequaled from a game perspective”.
“At 700 acres, the properties simply do not exist of this size and this quality in the south of Florida,” the young Trump told the newspaper in an email. “Not to mention Miami’s heart.”