Top Florida lawmakers are considering details of a gambling deal that could potentially pave the way for an agreement with the Seminole Tribe and a rare special legislative session at the end of April. After weeks of discussions, the lead negotiators, Republicans Sen. Bill Galvano of Bradenton and Rep. Jose Oliva of Miami have sent a blueprint of their recommendations to House Speaker Richard Corcoran and Senate President Joe Negron, who are working on the final pieces of the proposal.

"The policy has been negotiated and the recommendations have been presented to the presiding officers, and that's where we can get this done," said Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples.

“But of course, the devil is in the details. Once you agree on the policy, if the details don’t work out, half the time the proposals don’t pass," Passidomo added.

As is the case with most special sessions, specifics are usually worked out before lawmakers return to Tallahassee and are discussed behind closed doors. Galvano, the incoming Senate President, said no decision or agreement has been reached on a special session or dates.

If differences can be hashed out though, lawmakers could be called into session by April 30, but no final decision has been reached.

Gov. Rick Scott is aware the Legislature is looking into the issue and “will review any proposal [lawmakers] put forward,” spokesman McKinley Lewis said.

Lawmakers have discussed reconvening for a two-day session to address unresolved gambling issues in the last weeks. Talks began when an agreement between the state and the tribe was about to expire. The end of the agreement meant that as of March 31 the tribe is no longer obligated to make monthly payments on about $300 million owed each year in exchange for gaming exclusivity rights.

The tribe continues to make those monthly payments even though it is no longer required to do so, said Barry Richard, the tribe’s attorney.

“The tribe is in no hurry to stop those payments because they depend on the state’s economy,” Richard said.

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Legislators raised concerns that the potential loss of that money could put the state budget in peril and wanted to iron out differences between the House and Senate after years of stalemate. Lawmakers tried to revive gambling discussions at the end of the 2018 legislative session as it would have meant billions of dollars in state revenue, but no compromise was reached.

Pending issues relate to the expansion of the state’s gambling industry as well as allowing slot machines in counties where voters have approved them by referendum outside of Miami-Dade and Broward counties, which the tribe sees as a violation of its exclusivity rights. Another lingering issue concerns state regulation of designated player games.

Since negotiations began, the tribe has not been in contact with legislators and Richard said it has yet to be briefed on any proposal. If a deal includes additional tribe games, such as craps and roulette, or extending the compact, the tribe may be willing to give the state additional revenue, he said.

“[The tribe is] very careful from a business standpoint,” Richard said. "They would have the numbers calculated to see if it would be beneficial.”

The tribe is also paying close attention to the fate of Amendment 3, a proposal that would require a statewide vote for any future gaming expansion. The tribe and Disney back the measure, which must be approved by voters, that would give legislators less power over future gambling decisions.

The proposed constitutional amendment is championed by Voters in Charge, a group led by John Sowinski, who has been critical of lawmakers wanting to call a special session on gaming. In a letter to Negron and Corcoran, he suggested the effort is a “fictional crisis manufactured by gambling lobbyists” and that there is a “political fundraising benefit to holding a special session” during an election year.

“Whenever this issue comes up in Tallahassee, negotiations between the chambers seem to be more focused on coming up with a ‘deal’ that satisfies competing gambling interests than enacting solutions that are in the best interests of the people of Florida,” Sowinski said.

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/politics/2018/04/13/special-session-gambling-proposal-sent-top-florida-lawmakers/513436002/