Rubio Turns Up The Heat on Governor Crist Regarding Casino Compact

Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio has never hid his feelings regarding the new gambling compact between Governor Charlie Crist and the Seminole Indians. He is opposed to the compact and is fighting for it to be shut down by the state Supreme Court.

This weekend, he once again took the opportunity to stir his negative feelings on the issue. Rubio was set to speak at the Manatee County Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner in Bradenton, when he delivered his latest attack on Crist.

"One of the temptations in times like this is to reach for false promise. And that is what gambling is," said Rubio. He has never been bashful in his feelings towards gambling expansion in Florida.

His latest comments come possibly out of the realization that even the area where he represents, Miami-Dade County, will soon become home to expanded gambling. The County voters have just approved Vegas style slots for its parimutuels much like their neighboring Broward had a few years ago.

While Rubio has come out against the compact signed by Crist, he has been short on answers for how the state should have dealt with the Seminoles. The reality is the Seminoles were going to get their Vegas style slots whether the state received any revenue money from them or not.

So while the compact did not create the best revenue situation for the state, it is better than the zero dollars it would have received had the compact not been signed.

The state Legislative session starts in ten days, so the time was right for Rubio's latest remarks, to ensure that the gambling issue would be discussed in that session.

February 24, 2008
Posted By Larry Rutherford
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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