Disney is continuing to lead the campaign against politicians deciding on whether there’ll be more casinos in Florida. The state’s largest employer wants the future of any casino expansions in the Sunshine State to be decided by voters and is funding groups to make this happen.
Disney wants the voters of Florida to have the final say on gambling expansion. It has been donating to Voters in Charge to make this happen.
Disney Donates to Voters in Charge
About a month ago, a subsidiary of Disney, Disney Worldwide Services, donated a total of just under $600 000 over the course of three donations. These were made to a political committee called Voters in Charge. This group has set out to make sure that it is the citizens and voters in Florida who get to decide on any future casino expansions in the state.
Voters in Charge seems to have several other backers to its agenda, but Disney has been a regular donor. In total, it is believed Disney has given $2.35 million to Voters in Charge since October 2015. The state constitution in Florida does not allow for gambling, with the exception of pari-mutuel pools. However, some have been concerned with how Florida legislature has worked with the Seminole Tribe and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to gain the power to expand the casino industry without consulting voters.
Voters in Charge on Track
Voters in Charge doesn’t seem to be anti-gambling, they simply want to allow voters to decide if the state gets more casinos. In order for the organization to succeed and have its plan succeed, its Voter Control of Gaming Amendment will need to be included on ballots in the November election in 2018. To get this amendment ion the ballot though, Voters in Charge needs 766 200 signatures from Florida’s 27 congressional districts.
The money received by Disney is earmarked to go towards getting the required number of signatures. Voters in Charge currently has just shy of 290 000. However, the chairman of the group says they have hundreds of thousands more that have been submitted, with the paperwork being filled soon. They’re confident they will reach the required number of signatures and be on the ballot in November 2018.
