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Florida Bills Would Give State More Horse Racing K2asure for Harness Track at Pompano Beach on House Calendar TALLAHASSEE, Pla.. May 9. — There were strong indications here this week that the Florida Legislature would not hold the line on legalized gambling as requested by Gov. LeRoy Collins earlier in this session. Collins implied the possibility of a veto if the legislature goes ahead with its plans to approve new pari-mutuel establishments. At present Florida has four horse tracks, four jai-alai frontons and 15 dog tracks. The House Public Amusements Committee voted last week to approve a bill that would authorize the construction of a harness race track at Pompano Beach. The measure is now on the House calendar for action. The same committee has also approved quarter horse racing at the Ponce de Leon Raceway in St. Johns County, just across the Duval County line. The track, originally built for harness racing, has been idle. Sponsors of the bill claim it would permit quarter horse racing to be run in conjunction with harness racing — perhaps, no more than three races a night. But opponents of the bill, including Carl Hoffman, who was representing the Miami Beach Kennel Club, claim it would permit 90 days of quarter horse racing. The bill would not require a referendum before the electorate and prompted Hoffman to remark, "this would be introducing a new type of racing to Florida without the approval of the people." The House Public Amusements Committee approved a third racing bill last week that would authorize a horse track permit, subject to the vote of the people, for Volusia County. Dade County Miami area Rep. W. C. Herrell, a member of the committee, voted for the quarter horse bill, but abstained on the Volusia permit. The committee postponed action on a measure that would increase the states take on horse track betting from 15 to 16 per cent, and on another which would direct the racing commission to withhold allocating racing dates to dog tracks unless they agree to increase their purses to dog owners.
