Florida Senate - 2025                                     SB 622
       
       
        
       By Senator Rodriguez
       
       
       
       
       
       40-01671A-25                                           2025622__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to jai alai permit holders; amending
    3         s. 550.475, F.S.; providing that holders of a valid
    4         pari-mutuel permit may lease any of their facilities
    5         to any other holder of the same pari-mutuel permit or
    6         to any jai alai permitholder when located within a
    7         specified radius of each other; reenacting ss.
    8         550.054(14)(b) and 550.615(8), F.S., relating to
    9         application for permit to conduct pari-mutuel wagering
   10         and intertrack wagering, respectively, to incorporate
   11         the amendment made to s. 550.475, F.S., in references
   12         thereto; providing an effective date.
   13          
   14  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   15  
   16         Section 1. Section 550.475, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   17  read:
   18         550.475 Lease of pari-mutuel facilities by pari-mutuel
   19  permitholders.—Holders of valid pari-mutuel permits for the
   20  conduct of any pari-mutuel wagering in this state are entitled
   21  to lease any and all of their facilities to any other holder of
   22  a same class valid pari-mutuel permit or to any jai alai
   23  permitholder, when located within a 35-mile radius of each
   24  other; and such lessee is entitled to a permit and license to
   25  conduct intertrack wagering and operate its race meet or jai
   26  alai games at the leased premises.
   27         Section 2. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
   28  made by this act to section 550.475, Florida Statutes, in a
   29  reference thereto, paragraph (b) of subsection (14) of section
   30  550.054, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read:
   31         550.054 Application for permit to conduct pari-mutuel
   32  wagering.—
   33         (14)
   34         (b) The commission, upon application from the holder of a
   35  jai alai permit meeting all conditions of this section, shall
   36  convert the permit and shall issue to the permitholder a permit
   37  to conduct greyhound racing. A permitholder of a permit
   38  converted under this section shall be required to apply for and
   39  conduct a full schedule of live racing each fiscal year to be
   40  eligible for any tax credit provided by this chapter. The holder
   41  of a permit converted pursuant to this subsection or any holder
   42  of a permit to conduct greyhound racing located in a county in
   43  which it is the only permit issued pursuant to this section who
   44  operates at a leased facility pursuant to s. 550.475 may move
   45  the location for which the permit has been issued to another
   46  location within a 30-mile radius of the location fixed in the
   47  permit issued in that county, provided the move does not cross
   48  the county boundary and such location is approved under the
   49  zoning regulations of the county or municipality in which the
   50  permit is located, and upon such relocation may use the permit
   51  for the conduct of pari-mutuel wagering and the operation of a
   52  cardroom. The provisions of s. 550.6305(9)(d) and (f) shall
   53  apply to any permit converted under this subsection and shall
   54  continue to apply to any permit which was previously included
   55  under and subject to such provisions before a conversion
   56  pursuant to this section occurred.
   57         Section 3. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
   58  made by this act to section 550.475, Florida Statutes, in a
   59  reference thereto, subsection (8) of section 550.615, Florida
   60  Statutes, is reenacted to read:
   61         550.615 Intertrack wagering.—
   62         (8) In any three contiguous counties of the state where
   63  there are only three permitholders, all of which are greyhound
   64  permitholders, if any permitholder leases the facility of
   65  another permitholder for all or any portion of the conduct of
   66  its live race meet pursuant to s. 550.475, such lessee may
   67  conduct intertrack wagering at its pre-lease permitted facility
   68  throughout the entire year.
   69         Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.