Florida Rotation Date Bill Now Up to House: Observers of Opinion Measure Will be Watered down or Killed, Daily Racing Form, 1953-05-12

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Florida Rotation Date Bill Now Up to House Observers of Opinion Measure Will Be Watered Down or Killed TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 11.— Legislative observers said today there is a good chance the House will water down or kill a Senate-approved bill to rotate racing dates among the big three South Florida tracks, Gulfstream, Tropical Park and Hialeah. The state Senate passed the measure last week after a bitter, name-calling fight. It would rotate the three 40-day racing periods among the tracks, thus ending Hia-leahs hold on the highly profitable middle dates. Senate passage of the bill was considered a victory for Gulfstream, which has tried unsuccessfully for the past four years to break the hold which the present law gives Hialeah on the choice mid-season dates. The new bill would give the favored middle dates to Gulfstream in the 1954-55 season. Tropical Park would get them in 1955-56 and Hialeah would get them again in 1956-57. Hialeahs chances to slow up or kill the measure in the House were considered good because it has been referred to the Public Amendments Committee under chairmanship of Miamis Dante Fascell. The four Dade County Miami lawmakers oppose the bill, they say, not because of any desire to favor Hialeah, but because they believe is would be a mistake to upset a system which has produced millions of dollars for the state. Sponsors of the bill say the rotation system would increase revenue by forcing all three tracks- to expand their racing programs in order to keep abreast of competition.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1950s/drf1953051201/drf1953051201_41_5
Local Identifier: drf1953051201_41_5
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800