Florida Senate - 2025                              CS for SB 622
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Regulated Industries; and Senators Rodriguez
       and Calatayud
       
       
       
       
       580-02870-25                                           2025622c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to jai alai permitholders; amending s.
    3         550.475, F.S.; providing that holders of a valid pari
    4         mutuel permit may lease their pari-mutuel permitted
    5         facilities to any other holder of the same pari-mutuel
    6         permit or to any jai alai permitholder when located
    7         within a specified radius of each other; authorizing
    8         such lessee to apply for a license, rather than be
    9         entitled to a permit and license, to conduct specified
   10         gaming activities at the leased premises; reenacting
   11         ss. 550.054(14)(b) and 550.615(8), F.S., relating to
   12         application for permit to conduct pari-mutuel wagering
   13         and intertrack wagering, respectively, to incorporate
   14         the amendment made to s. 550.475, F.S., in references
   15         thereto; providing an effective date.
   16          
   17  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   18  
   19         Section 1. Section 550.475, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   20  read:
   21         550.475 Lease of pari-mutuel facilities by pari-mutuel
   22  permitholders.—Holders of valid pari-mutuel permits for the
   23  conduct of any pari-mutuel wagering in this state may are
   24  entitled to lease any and all of their pari-mutuel permitted
   25  facilities to any other holder of a same class valid pari-mutuel
   26  permit or to any jai alai permitholder, when located within a
   27  35-mile radius of each other; and such lessee may apply for a is
   28  entitled to a permit and license to conduct intertrack wagering
   29  and operate its race meet or jai alai games at the leased
   30  premises.
   31         Section 2. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
   32  made by this act to section 550.475, Florida Statutes, in a
   33  reference thereto, paragraph (b) of subsection (14) of section
   34  550.054, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read:
   35         550.054 Application for permit to conduct pari-mutuel
   36  wagering.—
   37         (14)
   38         (b) The commission, upon application from the holder of a
   39  jai alai permit meeting all conditions of this section, shall
   40  convert the permit and shall issue to the permitholder a permit
   41  to conduct greyhound racing. A permitholder of a permit
   42  converted under this section shall be required to apply for and
   43  conduct a full schedule of live racing each fiscal year to be
   44  eligible for any tax credit provided by this chapter. The holder
   45  of a permit converted pursuant to this subsection or any holder
   46  of a permit to conduct greyhound racing located in a county in
   47  which it is the only permit issued pursuant to this section who
   48  operates at a leased facility pursuant to s. 550.475 may move
   49  the location for which the permit has been issued to another
   50  location within a 30-mile radius of the location fixed in the
   51  permit issued in that county, provided the move does not cross
   52  the county boundary and such location is approved under the
   53  zoning regulations of the county or municipality in which the
   54  permit is located, and upon such relocation may use the permit
   55  for the conduct of pari-mutuel wagering and the operation of a
   56  cardroom. The provisions of s. 550.6305(9)(d) and (f) shall
   57  apply to any permit converted under this subsection and shall
   58  continue to apply to any permit which was previously included
   59  under and subject to such provisions before a conversion
   60  pursuant to this section occurred.
   61         Section 3. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
   62  made by this act to section 550.475, Florida Statutes, in a
   63  reference thereto, subsection (8) of section 550.615, Florida
   64  Statutes, is reenacted to read:
   65         550.615 Intertrack wagering.—
   66         (8) In any three contiguous counties of the state where
   67  there are only three permitholders, all of which are greyhound
   68  permitholders, if any permitholder leases the facility of
   69  another permitholder for all or any portion of the conduct of
   70  its live race meet pursuant to s. 550.475, such lessee may
   71  conduct intertrack wagering at its pre-lease permitted facility
   72  throughout the entire year.
   73         Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.