| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to pari-mutuel permitholders; amending s. |
| 3 | 550.5251, F.S.; revising licensing and permit requirements |
| 4 | relating to required operating days for certain |
| 5 | thoroughbred racing permitholders; revising timeframe for |
| 6 | application of certain requirements; deleting requirement |
| 7 | that certain thoroughbred permitholders operate the full |
| 8 | number of days; providing for validity of certain permits; |
| 9 | providing an effective date. |
| 10 |
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| 11 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 12 |
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| 13 | Section 1. Subsections (1), (2), and (3) of section |
| 14 | 550.5251, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: |
| 15 | 550.5251 Florida thoroughbred racing; certain permits; |
| 16 | operating days.-- |
| 17 | (1) Each thoroughbred permitholder under whose permit |
| 18 | thoroughbred racing was conducted in this state at any time |
| 19 | between January 1, 1987, and January 1, 2005 1988, shall |
| 20 | annually be entitled to apply for and annually receive |
| 21 | thoroughbred racing days and dates as set forth in this section. |
| 22 | As regards such permitholders, the annual thoroughbred racing |
| 23 | season shall be from June 1 of any year through May 31 of the |
| 24 | following year and shall be known as the "Florida Thoroughbred |
| 25 | Racing Season." |
| 26 | (2) Each permitholder referred to in subsection (1) shall |
| 27 | annually, during the period commencing December 15 of each year |
| 28 | and ending January 4 of the following year, file in writing with |
| 29 | the division its application to conduct one or more thoroughbred |
| 30 | racing meetings during the thoroughbred racing season commencing |
| 31 | on the following June 1. Each application shall specify the |
| 32 | number and dates of all performances that the permitholder |
| 33 | intends to conduct during that thoroughbred racing season. On or |
| 34 | before February 15 of each year, the division shall issue a |
| 35 | license authorizing each permitholder to conduct performances on |
| 36 | the dates specified in its application. Up to March 31 of each |
| 37 | year, each permitholder may request and shall be granted changes |
| 38 | in its authorized performances; but thereafter, as a condition |
| 39 | precedent to the validity of its license and its right to retain |
| 40 | its permit, each permitholder must operate the full number of |
| 41 | days authorized on each of the dates set forth in its license. |
| 42 | (3) Each thoroughbred permit referred to in subsection |
| 43 | (1), including, but not limited to, any permit originally issued |
| 44 | as a summer thoroughbred horse racing permit, is hereby |
| 45 | validated and shall continue in full force and effect, |
| 46 | irrespective of any action that the division may take or may |
| 47 | have heretofore taken against the permit. |
| 48 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005. |