South Florida slots referendums near March 8 vote

BROWARD/MIAMI-DADE (FBW) – Even as early voting has begun in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, proponents and opponents of referendums in each county which would permit the introduction of Las Vegas-style slot machines at seven pari-mutuel facilities in the two South Florida counties are entering the home stretch in a race that most observers believe the gambling industry will easily win.

According to reports from Florida’s Division of Elections, the pro-slots group “Yes for Better Schools and Jobs,” has raised $3.7 million through Feb. 11, while the anti-slots group, “Remember the Lottery,” has raised so little the group was not required to file a report.

Fueled by money from pari-mutuel facilities in South Florida and the Biloxi, Miss.-based Isle of Capri Casinos, slots proponents are flush with cash to make the case to South Florida voters that allowing slots machines will bring much-need tax revenues to public schools and thousands of new, good-paying jobs.

Meanwhile, religious, animal rights and some education and business groups are relying upon a grassroots campaign of e-mails and public debates to warn voters that the social costs of expanded gambling far outweigh the speculative tax revenue gains promised by proponents.

Florida Baptists are part of the effort to educate voters about the slots referendums, several leaders told Florida Baptist Witness in the waning days before the March 8 ballot.

John Fleming, executive director of missions for the Gulf Stream Baptist Association, told the Witness that his association – which covers Broward County – has been alerting its churches through e-mail to pastors with links to online resources about the referendum for use in the churches.

“The pro-slots organizations present a false platform of supporting education,” Fleming said. “The lottery has failed to do that. The increase costs of police, medical and crime (activity) will ultimately result in increased property taxes that are already skyrocketing in South Florida.”

In spite of the resources of proponents, Fleming believes with the strong opposition of Gov. Jeb Bush, as well as the opposition of some local political leaders – including mayors of both counties, “we have a good chance to defeat this issue.”

Gov. Bush expressed his opposition to both referendums in a Feb. 17 letter to the Christian Coalition of South Florida. “The big casinos are seducing the voters with the hollow promise of more education funding,” Bush wrote. “The true costs are significant and real; long-term decay of our traditional industries and the social fabric of our communities.” (For more on Bush’s letter, see this week’s editorial, “Melting the ‘snowball effect’ of slots in South Florida.”)

Broward County Mayor Kristin Jacobs and Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez have announced their opposition to their respective referendums, although Jacobs has been more vocal. Other local leaders who have announced their opposition include officials throughout Broward and Miami-Dade – the mayors of Fort Lauderdale, Coral Springs, Davie, Hillsboro Beach, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Lighthouse Point, Parkland, Pembroke Park, Pompano Beach, and Deerfield Beach, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Proponents have countered with the support of the chambers of commerce for Miami-Dade, North Dade Regional, Puerto Rican and Greater Pompano.

While the Broward County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations joined the anti-slots efforts, other education organizations endorsed the referendums, including the Florida Education Association, Florida School Boards Association, Broward Teachers Union, and United Teachers of Dade.

Central to the efforts of opponents within the religious community is the efforts of the Christian Coalition chapters. The Christian Coalition of Broward County and the Christian Coalition of South Florida have together published a voter’s guide, which is available online at: www.ccsfla.org). The organizations hope to distribution 100,000 guides in churches in each county before the March 8 election.

Wayside Baptist Church in Miami provided the guide to its members, Pastor Gary Johnson told Florida Baptist Witness. Additionally, at the March 2 Wednesday evening service, Johnson was scheduled to show a video produced by James Dobson’s Focus on the Family about the dangers of gambling. A five-minute and 20-minute version of the video is available on the Christian Coalition of South Florida Web site.

Johnson told the Witness he has incorporated comments about the slots referendum in a current sermon series on biblical worldviews.

Gambling is harmful, Johnson believes, because it undermines hard work, promotes bad stewardship of resources and causes its victims to believe in luck. Additionally, gambling “teaches that it is okay to do things wrong to get things that you need,” Johnson said, noting the claim of slots backers that additional tax revenues will help schools.

Unlike Fleming, Johnson fears the referendums will pass because most Christians will not vote.

“We live in times when people are more interested in comfort, materialism and other things than in spiritual things,” Johnson said. “Most people don’t care if it doesn’t bother them.”