Florida 2024 2024 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H0909 Comm Sub / Bill

Filed 02/26/2024

                       
 
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A bill to be entitled 1 
An act relating to pari -mutuel permitholders; creating 2 
s. 16.717, F.S.; authorizing the Florida Gaming 3 
Control Commission to deny an application for 4 
licensure of, or suspend or revoke the license of, any 5 
person who falsely swears under oath or affirmation to 6 
certain material statements on his or her application 7 
for a license; providing that such persons are subject 8 
to other applicable penalties; creating s. 16.718, 9 
F.S.; requiring applicants for licenses and licensees 10 
to notify the commission of certain con tact 11 
information and of any change in such contact 12 
information; providing penalties for failure to 13 
comply; providing that delivery of correspondence to 14 
the licensee's or applicant's e -mail or mailing 15 
address on record with the commission constitutes 16 
sufficient notice for official communications, 17 
including administrative complaints or other documents 18 
setting forth intended or final agency action; 19 
providing discretion to the commission in the method 20 
of service of such correspondence; amending s. 21 
550.01215, F.S.; revising the timeframe within which a 22 
permitholder is required to annually file an 23 
application for an operating license for a pari -mutuel 24 
facility during the next state fiscal year; revising 25     
 
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the date by which the commission is required to issue 26 
such license; revising the deadline date for 27 
application amendments; revising the deadline date for 28 
the commission to issue a license; authorizing, rather 29 
than requiring, the commission to take into 30 
consideration the impact of such change on state 31 
revenues when determining whether to change a 32 
performance date; authorizing, rather than requiring, 33 
the commission to take specified actions on a 34 
permitholder's license; deleting a provision 35 
authorizing permitholders to apply for a license for 36 
performances that have been vacated, abandoned, or 37 
will not be used by another permitholder; making 38 
technical changes; amending ss. 550.0351 and 550.054, 39 
F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made by the 40 
act; amending s. 550.0951, F.S.; making technical 41 
changes; removing obsolete l anguage; reenacting and 42 
amending s. 550.09515, F.S.; removing obsolete 43 
language; amending s. 550.105, F.S.; expanding the 44 
commission's authority to deny, revoke, suspend, or 45 
place conditions on certain licenses; authorizing the 46 
commission to summarily susp end a license when a 47 
person has been subject to a provisional suspension or 48 
period of ineligibility imposed by the federal 49 
Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority related to 50     
 
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the finding of a prohibited substance in an animal's 51 
hair or bodily fluids; pro viding that any suspension 52 
imposed expires on the same date that the Horseracing 53 
Integrity and Safety Authority's provisional 54 
suspension or period of ineligibility expires; 55 
requiring the commission to offer a licensee a 56 
postsuspension hearing within a spec ified timeframe; 57 
providing a burden of proof for such hearings; 58 
providing a standard of review for the commission for 59 
such appeals; amending s. 550.125, F.S.; revising 60 
requirements for maintaining certain financial records 61 
and applying such requirements to all, rather than 62 
specified, pari-mutuel wagering permitholders; 63 
reenacting and amending s. 550.3551, F.S.; authorizing 64 
a licensed horse track to receive broadcasts of 65 
horseraces conducted at horse racetracks outside this 66 
state if certain conditions are me t; amending s. 67 
550.475, F.S.; authorizing pari -mutuel permitholders 68 
to lease their facilities to jai alai permitholders 69 
under certain conditions; amending s. 550.505, F.S.; 70 
revising the timeframe within which nonwagering 71 
permitholders must apply for a nonw agering license; 72 
requiring permitholders to demonstrate that locations 73 
designated for nonwagering horseracing are available 74 
for such use; revising the date by which the 75     
 
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commission is required to issue certain nonwagering 76 
licenses; authorizing the commissio n to extend a 77 
certain nonwagering license for a specified timeframe; 78 
amending s. 550.5251, F.S.; revising the timeframes 79 
within which thoroughbred permitholders must file with 80 
the commission an application for a license to conduct 81 
thoroughbred racing meeti ngs, the commission must 82 
issue such licenses, and permitholders may request 83 
changes in their applications to conduct performances; 84 
amending s. 551.104, F.S.; removing obsolete language; 85 
requiring that audits of licensees' receipts and 86 
distributions of slot machine revenues be conducted by 87 
a certified public accountant licensed under ch. 473, 88 
F.S.; revising the timeframe within which such audits 89 
must be filed with the commission; amending s. 90 
551.107, F.S.; authorizing the waiver of required 91 
action on the part of the commission under certain 92 
circumstances; reenacting ss. 212.04(2)(c), 93 
550.0351(4), 550.09511(2), 550.09512(4), 550.09514(1) 94 
and (2)(e), 550.09516(3), 550.135(1), 550.1625(2), 95 
550.26352(3)-(6), and 550.375(4), F.S., relating to 96 
admissions taxes and rates, charity racing days, jai 97 
alai taxes, harness horse taxes, greyhound dogracing 98 
taxes and purse requirements, thoroughbred racing 99 
permitholders, daily licensing fees collected from 100     
 
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pari-mutuel racing, dogracing taxes, authorizing 101 
Breeders' Cup Meet po ols, and operating certain 102 
harness tracks, respectively, to incorporate the 103 
amendment made to s. 550.0951, F.S., in references 104 
thereto; providing effective dates. 105 
  106 
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 107 
 108 
 Section 1.  Section 16 .717, Florida Statutes, is created to 109 
read: 110 
 16.717  Florida Gaming Control Commission; penalties for 111 
false oath or affirmation of applicants for licensure; 112 
licensees.—The commission may deny the application of, or 113 
suspend or revoke the license of, any per son who submits an 114 
application for licensure upon which application the person has 115 
falsely sworn, in a signed oath or affirmation, to a material 116 
statement, including, but not limited to, the criminal history 117 
of the applicant or licensee. Additionally, the person is 118 
subject to any other penalties provided by law. 119 
 Section 2.  Section 16.718, Florida Statutes, is created to 120 
read: 121 
 16.718  Florida Gaming Control Commission; notification of 122 
applicants' or licensees' addresses and place of employment; 123 
service.— 124 
 (1)  Each applicant for a license with the commission and 125     
 
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each licensee of the commission is responsible for notifying the 126 
commission in writing of the applicant's or licensee's current 127 
mailing address, e-mail address, and place of employment. An 128 
applicant's failure to notify the commission constitutes a 129 
violation of this section, and the applicant's application may 130 
be denied. A licensee's failure to notify the commission of any 131 
change to the e-mail or mailing address of record constitutes a 132 
violation of this section, and the licensee may be disciplined 133 
by the commission as described in s. 550.0251(10). 134 
 (2)  Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, 135 
service by e-mail to an applicant's or licensee's e -mail address 136 
of record with the commission constitutes sufficient notice to 137 
the applicant or licensee for any official communication. The 138 
commission may, in its discretion, provide service for any 139 
official communication by regular mail to an applicant's or 140 
licensee's last known mailing address. Th e commission is not 141 
required to provide service by both e -mail and regular mail. 142 
 (3)  Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, 143 
when an administrative complaint or other document setting forth 144 
intended or final agency action is to be served on an applicant 145 
or a licensee, the commission is only required to provide 146 
service by e-mail to the applicant's or licensee's e -mail 147 
address on record with the commission. E -mail service 148 
constitutes sufficient notice to the person or persons upon whom 149 
an administrative complaint or any other document setting forth 150     
 
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intended or final agency action is served. The commission may, 151 
in its discretion, provide service of an administrative 152 
complaint or any other documents setting forth intended or final 153 
agency action by regular mail to an applicant's or licensee's 154 
last known mailing address. The commission is not required to 155 
provide service by both e -mail and regular mail. 156 
 Section 3.  Subsections (1), (3), (4), and (5) of section 157 
550.01215, Florida Statutes, are amen ded to read: 158 
 550.01215  License application; periods of operation; 159 
license fees; bond.— 160 
 (1)  Each permitholder shall annually, during the period 161 
between January December 15 and February January 4, file in 162 
writing with the commission its application for a n operating 163 
license for a pari-mutuel facility for the conduct of pari -164 
mutuel wagering during the next state fiscal year, including 165 
intertrack and simulcast race wagering. Each application for 166 
live performances must specify the number, dates, and starting 167 
times of all live performances that the permitholder intends to 168 
conduct. It must also specify which performances will be 169 
conducted as charity or scholarship performances. 170 
 (a)  Each application for an operating license also must 171 
include: 172 
 1.  For each permitholder, whether the permitholder intends 173 
to accept wagers on intertrack or simulcast events. 174 
 2.  For each permitholder that elects to operate a 175     
 
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cardroom, the dates and periods of operation the permitholder 176 
intends to operate the cardroom. 177 
 3.  For each thoroughbred racing permitholder that elects 178 
to receive or rebroadcast out -of-state races, the dates for all 179 
performances that the permitholder intends to conduct. 180 
 (b)1.  A greyhound permitholder may not conduct live 181 
racing. A jai alai permitholder, harne ss horse racing 182 
permitholder, or quarter horse racing permitholder may elect not 183 
to conduct live racing or games. A thoroughbred permitholder 184 
must conduct live racing. A greyhound permitholder, jai alai 185 
permitholder, harness horse racing permitholder, or q uarter 186 
horse racing permitholder that does not conduct live racing or 187 
games retains its permit; is a pari -mutuel facility as defined 188 
in s. 550.002(23); if such permitholder has been issued a slot 189 
machine license, the facility where such permit is located 190 
remains an eligible facility as defined in s. 551.102(4), 191 
continues to be eligible for a slot machine license pursuant to 192 
s. 551.104(3), and is exempt from ss. 551.104(4)(c) and (10) and 193 
551.114(2); is eligible, but not required, to be a guest track 194 
and, if the permitholder is a harness horse racing permitholder, 195 
to be a host track for purposes of intertrack wagering and 196 
simulcasting pursuant to ss. 550.3551, 550.615, 550.625, and 197 
550.6305; and remains eligible for a cardroom license. 198 
 2.  A permitholder or licensee may not conduct live 199 
greyhound racing or dogracing in connection with any wager for 200     
 
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money or any other thing of value in the state. The commission 201 
may deny, suspend, or revoke any permit or license under this 202 
chapter if a permitholder or licensee conducts live greyhound 203 
racing or dogracing in violation of this subparagraph. In 204 
addition to, or in lieu of, denial, suspension, or revocation of 205 
such permit or license, the commission may impose a civil 206 
penalty of up to $5,000 against the permitholder or licensee for 207 
a violation of this subparagraph. All penalties imposed and 208 
collected must be deposited with the Chief Financial Officer to 209 
the credit of the General Revenue Fund. 210 
 (c)  Permitholders may amend their applications through 211 
March February 28. 212 
 (d)  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, other than 213 
a permitholder issued a permit pursuant to s. 550.3345, a pari -214 
mutuel permitholder may not be issued an operating license for 215 
the conduct of pari-mutuel wagering, slot machine gaming, or the 216 
operation of a cardroom if the permitholder did not hold an 217 
operating license for the conduct of pari -mutuel wagering for 218 
fiscal year 2020-2021. This paragraph does not apply to a 219 
purchaser, transferee, or assignee holding a valid permit for 220 
the conduct of pari-mutuel wagering approved pursuant to s. 221 
550.054(15)(a). 222 
 (3)  The commission shall issue each license no later than 223 
April March 15. Each permitholder shall operate all performances 224 
at the date and time specified on its license. The commission 225     
 
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shall have the authority to approve minor changes in racing 226 
dates after a license has been issued. The commission may 227 
approve changes in performance racing dates after a license has 228 
been issued when there is no objection from any operating 229 
permitholder that is conducti ng live racing or games and that is 230 
located within 50 miles of the permitholder requesting the 231 
changes in operating dates. In the event of an objection, the 232 
commission shall approve or disapprove the change in operating 233 
dates based upon the impact on opera ting permitholders located 234 
within 50 miles of the permitholder requesting the change in 235 
operating dates. In making the determination to change 236 
performance racing dates, the commission may shall take into 237 
consideration the impact of such changes on state re venues. 238 
 (4)  In the event that a permitholder fails to operate all 239 
performances specified on its license at the date and time 240 
specified, the commission may shall hold a hearing to determine 241 
whether to fine or suspend the permitholder's license, unless 242 
such failure was the direct result of fire, strike, war, 243 
hurricane, pandemic, or other disaster or event beyond the 244 
ability of the permitholder to control. Financial hardship to 245 
the permitholder shall not, in and of itself, constitute just 246 
cause for failure to operate all performances on the dates and 247 
at the times specified. 248 
 (5)  In the event that performances licensed to be operated 249 
by a permitholder are vacated, abandoned, or will not be used 250     
 
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for any reason, any permitholder shall be entitled, pursuant to 251 
rules adopted by the commission, to apply to conduct 252 
performances on the dates for which the performances have been 253 
abandoned. The commission shall issue an amended license for all 254 
such replacement performances which have been requested in 255 
compliance with this chapter and commission rules. 256 
 Section 4.  Section 550.0351, Florida Statutes, is amended 257 
to read: 258 
 550.0351  Charity racing days.— 259 
 (1)  The commission shall, upon the request of a 260 
permitholder, authorize each horseracing permitholder and jai 261 
alai permitholder up to five charity or scholarship days in 262 
addition to the regular racing days authorized by law. 263 
 (2)  The proceeds of charity performances shall be paid to 264 
qualified beneficiaries selected by the permitholders from an 265 
authorized list of charit ies on file with the commission. 266 
Eligible charities include any charity that provides evidence of 267 
compliance with the provisions of chapter 496 and evidence of 268 
possession of a valid exemption from federal taxation issued by 269 
the Internal Revenue Service. In addition, the authorized list 270 
must include the Racing Scholarship Trust Fund, the Historical 271 
Resources Operating Trust Fund, major state and private 272 
institutions of higher learning, and Florida community colleges. 273 
 (3)  The permitholder shall, within 120 days after the 274 
conclusion of its fiscal year, pay to the authorized charities 275     
 
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the total of all profits derived from the operation of the 276 
charity day performances conducted. If charity days are operated 277 
on behalf of another permitholder pursuant to law, the 278 
permitholder entitled to distribute the proceeds shall 279 
distribute the proceeds to charity within 30 days after the 280 
actual receipt of the proceeds. 281 
 (4)  The total of all profits derived from the conduct of a 282 
charity day performance must include all revenu es derived from 283 
the conduct of that racing performance, including all state 284 
taxes that would otherwise be due to the state, except that the 285 
daily license fee as provided in s. 550.0951(1) and the breaks 286 
for the promotional trust funds as provided in s. 550 .2625(3), 287 
(4), (5), (7), and (8) shall be paid to the commission. All 288 
other revenues from the charity racing performance, including 289 
the commissions, breaks, and admissions and the revenues from 290 
parking, programs, and concessions, shall be included in the 291 
total of all profits. 292 
 (5)  In determining profit, the permitholder may elect to 293 
distribute as proceeds only the amount equal to the state tax 294 
that would otherwise be paid to the state if the charity day 295 
were conducted as a regular or matinee performance. 296 
 (6)(a)  The commission shall authorize one additional 297 
scholarship day for horseracing in addition to the regular 298 
racing days authorized by law and any additional days authorized 299 
by this section, to be conducted at all horse racetracks located 300     
 
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in Hillsborough County. The permitholder shall conduct a full 301 
schedule of racing on the scholarship day. 302 
 (b)  The funds derived from the operation of the additional 303 
scholarship day shall be allocated as provided in this section 304 
and paid to Pasco-Hernando Community Col lege. 305 
 (c)  When a charity or scholarship performance is conducted 306 
as a matinee performance, the commission may authorize the 307 
permitholder to conduct the evening performances of that 308 
operation day as a regular performance in addition to the 309 
regular operating days authorized by law. 310 
 (7)  In addition to the eligible charities that meet the 311 
criteria set forth in this section, a jai alai permitholder is 312 
authorized to conduct two additional charity performances each 313 
fiscal year for a fund to benefit retired jai alai players. This 314 
performance shall be known as the "Retired Jai Alai Players 315 
Charity Day." The administration of this fund shall be 316 
determined by rule by the commission. 317 
 Section 5.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (9) of section 318 
550.054, Florida Statutes , is amended to read: 319 
 550.054  Application for permit to conduct pari -mutuel 320 
wagering.— 321 
 (9)(a)  After a permit has been granted by the commission 322 
and has been ratified and approved by the majority of the 323 
electors participating in the election in the coun ty designated 324 
in the permit, the commission shall grant to the lawful 325     
 
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permitholder, subject to the conditions of this chapter, a 326 
license to conduct pari -mutuel operations under this chapter, 327 
and, except as provided in s. 550.5251, the commission shall fix 328 
annually the time, place, and number of days during which pari -329 
mutuel operations may be conducted by the permitholder at the 330 
location fixed in the permit and ratified in the election. After 331 
the first license has been issued to the holder of a ratified 332 
permit for racing in any county, all subsequent annual 333 
applications for a license by that permitholder must be 334 
accompanied by proof, in such form as the commission requires, 335 
that the ratified permitholder still possesses all the 336 
qualifications prescribed by th is chapter and that the permit 337 
has not been recalled at a later election held in the county. 338 
 Section 6.  Subsections (1) and (5) of section 550.0951, 339 
Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 340 
 550.0951  Payment of daily license fee and taxes; 341 
penalties.— 342 
 (1)  DAILY LICENSE FEE. — 343 
 (a)  Each person engaged in the business of conducting race 344 
meetings or jai alai games under this chapter, hereinafter 345 
referred to as the "permitholder," "licensee," or "permittee," 346 
shall pay to the commission, for the use of the commission, a 347 
daily license fee on each live or simulcast pari -mutuel event of 348 
$100 for each horserace and $80 for each dograce and $40 for 349 
each jai alai game conducted at a racetrack or fronton licensed 350     
 
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under this chapter. In addition to the tax exemption specified 351 
in s. 550.09514(1) of $360,000 or $500,000 per greyhound 352 
permitholder per state fiscal year, each greyhound permitholder 353 
shall receive in the current state fiscal year a tax credit 354 
equal to the number of live greyhound races conducted in the 355 
previous state fiscal year times the daily license fee specified 356 
for each dograce in this subsection applicable for the previous 357 
state fiscal year. This tax credit and the exemption in s. 358 
550.09514(1) apply shall be applicable to any tax imposed by 359 
this chapter or the daily license fees imposed by this chapter 360 
except during any charity or scholarship performances conducted 361 
pursuant to s. 550.0351. Each permitholder shall pay daily 362 
license fees not to exceed $500 per day on any simulcast races 363 
or games on which such permitholder accepts wagers regardless of 364 
the number of out-of-state events taken or the number of out -of-365 
state locations from which such events are taken. This license 366 
fee shall be deposited with the Chief Financial Officer to the 367 
credit of the Pari-mutuel Wagering Trust Fund. 368 
 (b)  Each permitholder that cannot utilize the full amount 369 
of the exemption of $360,000 or $500,000 provided in s. 370 
550.09514(1) or the daily license fee credit provided in this 371 
section may, after notifying the commission in wr iting, elect 372 
once per state fiscal year on a form provided by the commission 373 
to transfer such exemption or credit or any portion thereof to 374 
any greyhound permitholder which acts as a host track to such 375     
 
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permitholder for the purpose of intertrack wagering. O nce an 376 
election to transfer such exemption or credit is filed with the 377 
commission, it may shall not be rescinded. The commission shall 378 
disapprove the transfer when the amount of the exemption or 379 
credit or portion thereof is unavailable to the transferring 380 
permitholder or when the permitholder who is entitled to 381 
transfer the exemption or credit or who is entitled to receive 382 
the exemption or credit owes taxes to the state pursuant to a 383 
deficiency letter or administrative complaint issued by the 384 
commission. Upon approval of the transfer by the commission, the 385 
transferred tax exemption or credit is shall be effective for 386 
the first performance of the next payment period as specified in 387 
subsection (5). The exemption or credit transferred to such host 388 
track may be applied by such host track against any taxes 389 
imposed by this chapter or daily license fees imposed by this 390 
chapter. The greyhound permitholde r host track to which such 391 
exemption or credit is transferred shall reimburse such 392 
permitholder the exact monetary value of such transferred 393 
exemption or credit as actually applied against the taxes and 394 
daily license fees of the host track. The commission shall 395 
ensure that all transfers of exemption or credit are made in 396 
accordance with this subsection and has shall have the authority 397 
to adopt rules to ensure the implementation of this section. 398 
 (5)  PAYMENT AND DISPOSITION OF FEES AND TAXES. —Payments 399 
imposed by this section must shall be paid to the commission. 400     
 
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The commission shall deposit these sums with the Chief Financial 401 
Officer, to the credit of the Pari -mutuel Wagering Trust Fund, 402 
hereby established. The permitholder shall remit to the 403 
commission payment for the daily license fee, the admission tax, 404 
the tax on handle, and the breaks tax. Such payments shall be 405 
remitted by 3 p.m. Wednesday of each week for taxes imposed and 406 
collected for the preceding week ending on Sunday. Beginning on 407 
July 1, 2012, such payments must shall be remitted by 3 p.m. on 408 
the 5th day of each calendar month for taxes imposed and 409 
collected for the preceding calendar month. If the 5th day of 410 
the calendar month falls on a weekend, payments must shall be 411 
remitted by 3 p.m. the firs t Monday following the weekend. 412 
Permitholders shall file a report under oath by the 5th day of 413 
each calendar month for all taxes remitted during the preceding 414 
calendar month. Such payments must shall be accompanied by a 415 
report under oath showing the total of all admissions, the pari -416 
mutuel wagering activities for the preceding calendar month, and 417 
such other information as may be prescribed by the commission. 418 
 Section 7.  Subsection (7) of section 550.09515, Florida 419 
Statutes, is amended, and subsection (4) of that section is 420 
reenacted for the purpose of incorporating the amendment made by 421 
this act to section 550.0951, Florida Statutes, to read: 422 
 550.09515  Thoroughbred horse taxes; abandoned interest in 423 
a permit for nonpayment of taxes. — 424 
 (4)  In the event that a court of competent jurisdiction 425     
 
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determines any of the provisions of this section to be 426 
unconstitutional, it is the intent of the Legislature that the 427 
provisions contained in this section shall be null and void and 428 
that the provisions of s. 550.0951 shall apply to all 429 
thoroughbred horse permitholders beginning on the date of such 430 
judicial determination. To this end, the Legislature declares 431 
that it would not have enacted any of the provisions of this 432 
section individually and, to that end, expressly fi nds them not 433 
to be severable. 434 
 (7)  If a thoroughbred permitholder fails to operate all 435 
performances on its 2001 -2002 license, failure to pay tax on 436 
handle for a full schedule of live races for those performances 437 
in the 2001-2002 fiscal year does not const itute failure to pay 438 
taxes on handle for a full schedule of live races in a fiscal 439 
year for the purposes of subsection (3). This subsection may not 440 
be construed as forgiving a thoroughbred permitholder from 441 
paying taxes on performances conducted at its fac ility pursuant 442 
to its 2001-2002 license other than for failure to operate all 443 
performances on its 2001 -2002 license. This subsection expires 444 
July 1, 2003. 445 
 Section 8.  Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (5) of 446 
section 550.105, Florida Statutes, are ame nded to read: 447 
 550.105  Occupational licenses of racetrack employees; 448 
fees; denial, suspension, and revocation of license; penalties 449 
and fines.— 450     
 
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 (5)(a)  The commission may do the following: 451 
 1.  Deny a license to or revoke, suspend, or place 452 
conditions upon or restrictions on a license of any person who 453 
has been refused a license by any other state racing commission 454 
or racing authority or has been subject to a provisional 455 
suspension or period of ineligibility by the federal Horseracing 456 
Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), or another such authority 457 
designated by the Federal Trade Commission. ; 458 
 2.  Deny, suspend, or place conditions on a license of any 459 
person who is under suspension , or has unpaid fines in another 460 
jurisdiction, or is subject to a provisiona l suspension or 461 
period of ineligibility under HISA. ; 462 
 3.  Notwithstanding subparagraph 2. and chapter 120, 463 
summarily suspend the occupational license of any person subject 464 
to a provisional suspension or period of ineligibility imposed 465 
by HISA related to a prohibited substance in an animal's hair or 466 
in its blood, urine, saliva, or any other bodily fluid. Any 467 
suspension imposed pursuant to this subparagraph expires on the 468 
date that the provisional suspension or period of ineligibility 469 
imposed by HISA expires. If an occupational licensee is 470 
summarily suspended under this subparagraph, the commission must 471 
offer the licensee a postsuspension hearing within 72 hours 472 
after commencement of the suspension. The occupational licensee 473 
has the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that 474 
he or she is not subject to a provisional suspension or period 475     
 
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of ineligibility imposed by HISA. The standard of review 476 
applicable to the commission under this subparagraph is whether 477 
the commission's action was an abuse of dis cretion 478 
 479 
if the state racing commission or racing authority of such other 480 
state or jurisdiction extends to the commission reciprocal 481 
courtesy to maintain the disciplinary control . 482 
 (c)  The commission may deny, declare ineligible, or revoke 483 
any occupational license if the applicant for such license has 484 
been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor in this state, in any 485 
other state, or under the laws of the United States, if such 486 
felony or misdemeanor is related to gambling or bookmaking, as 487 
contemplated in s. 8 49.25, or involves cruelty to animals. If 488 
the applicant establishes that she or he is of good moral 489 
character, that she or he has been rehabilitated, and that the 490 
crime she or he was convicted of is not related to pari -mutuel 491 
wagering and is not a capital offense, the restrictions 492 
excluding offenders may be waived by the director of the 493 
commission. 494 
 Section 9.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section 495 
550.125, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 496 
 550.125  Uniform reporting system; bond requirement. — 497 
 (2)(a)  Each permitholder issued an operating license that 498 
conducts race meetings or jai alai exhibitions under this 499 
chapter shall keep records that clearly show the total number of 500     
 
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admissions and the total amount of money contributed to each 501 
pari-mutuel pools, cardroom gross receipts, and slot machine 502 
revenues pool on each race or exhibition separately and the 503 
amount of money received daily from admission fees and, within 504 
120 days after the end of its fiscal year, shall submit to the 505 
commission a complete annual report of its accounts, audited by 506 
a certified public accountant licensed to practice in this the 507 
state. 508 
 Section 10.  Effective upon this act becoming a law, 509 
subsection (3) of section 550.3551, Florida Statutes, is 510 
amended, and paragraph (b) of s ubsection (2) and subsection (4) 511 
are reenacted to read: 512 
 550.3551  Transmission of racing and jai alai information; 513 
commingling of pari-mutuel pools.— 514 
 (2)  Any horse track or fronton licensed under this chapter 515 
may transmit broadcasts of races or games co nducted at the 516 
enclosure of the licensee to locations outside this state. 517 
 (b)  Wagers accepted by any out -of-state pari-mutuel 518 
permitholder or licensed betting system on a race broadcasted 519 
under this subsection may be, but are not required to be, 520 
included in the pari-mutuel pools of the horse track in this 521 
state that broadcasts the race upon which wagers are accepted. 522 
The handle, as referred to in s. 550.0951(3), does not include 523 
any wagers accepted by an out -of-state pari-mutuel permitholder 524 
or licensed betting system, irrespective of whether such wagers 525     
 
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are included in the pari -mutuel pools of the Florida 526 
permitholder as authorized by this subsection. 527 
 (3)  Any horse track licensed under this chapter may 528 
receive broadcasts of horseraces conducted at other horse 529 
racetracks located outside this state at the racetrack enclosure 530 
of the licensee, if the horse track conducted a full schedule of 531 
live racing during the preceding state fiscal year or if the 532 
horse track does not conduct live racing as authorized und er s. 533 
550.01215 during its racing meet . 534 
 (a)  All broadcasts of horseraces received from locations 535 
outside this state must comply with the provisions of the 536 
Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978, 92 Stat. 1811, 15 U.S.C. ss. 537 
3001 et seq. 538 
 (b)  Wagers accepted at the horse track in this state may 539 
be, but are not required to be, included in the pari -mutuel 540 
pools of the out-of-state horse track that broadcasts the race. 541 
Notwithstanding any contrary provisions of this chapter, if the 542 
horse track in this state elec ts to include wagers accepted on 543 
such races in the pari -mutuel pools of the out -of-state horse 544 
track that broadcasts the race, from the amount wagered by 545 
patrons at the horse track in this state and included in the 546 
pari-mutuel pools of the out -of-state horse track, the horse 547 
track in this state shall deduct as the takeout from the amount 548 
wagered by patrons at the horse track in this state and included 549 
in the pari-mutuel pools of the out -of-state horse track a 550     
 
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percentage equal to the percentage deducted from the amount 551 
wagered at the out-of-state racetrack as is authorized by the 552 
laws of the jurisdiction exercising regulatory authority over 553 
the out-of-state horse track. 554 
 (c)  All forms of pari -mutuel wagering are allowed on races 555 
broadcast under this section, and all money wagered by patrons 556 
on such races shall be computed as part of the total amount of 557 
money wagered at each racing performance for purposes of 558 
taxation under ss. 550.0951, 550.09512, and 550.09515. Section 559 
550.2625(2)(a), (b), and (c) does not a pply to any money wagered 560 
on races broadcast under this section. Similarly, the takeout 561 
shall be increased by breaks and uncashed tickets for wagers on 562 
races broadcast under this section, notwithstanding any contrary 563 
provision of this chapter. 564 
 (4)  Any greyhound permitholder or jai alai permitholder 565 
licensed under this chapter may receive at its licensed location 566 
broadcasts of dograces or jai alai games conducted at other 567 
tracks or frontons located outside the state. All forms of pari -568 
mutuel wagering are a llowed on dograces or jai alai games 569 
broadcast under this subsection. All money wagered by patrons on 570 
dograces broadcast under this subsection shall be computed in 571 
the amount of money wagered each performance for purposes of 572 
taxation under ss. 550.0951 and 550.09511. 573 
 Section 11.  Section 550.475, Florida Statutes, is amended 574 
to read: 575     
 
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 550.475  Lease of pari -mutuel facilities by pari -mutuel 576 
permitholders.—Holders of valid pari -mutuel permits for the 577 
conduct of any pari-mutuel wagering in this state are en titled 578 
to lease any and all of their facilities to any other holder of 579 
a same class valid pari -mutuel permit or to any jai alai 580 
permitholder, when located within a 35 -mile radius of each 581 
other; and such lessee is entitled to a permit and license to 582 
conduct intertrack wagering and operate its race meet or jai 583 
alai games at the leased premises. 584 
 Section 12.  Subsection (3) of section 550.505, Florida 585 
Statutes, is amended to read: 586 
 550.505  Nonwagering permits. — 587 
 (3)(a)  Upon receipt of a nonwagering permit, the 588 
permitholder shall apply between January 15 and February 4 must 589 
apply to the commission before June 1 of each year for a an 590 
annual nonwagering license for the next state fiscal succeeding 591 
calendar year. Such application must set forth the days and 592 
locations at which the permitholder will conduct nonwagering 593 
horseracing, must demonstrate that any location to which the 594 
nonwagering license applies is available for such use, and must 595 
indicate any changes in ownership or management of the 596 
permitholder occurring since the date of application for the 597 
prior license. 598 
 (b)  On or before April 15 August 1 of each year, the 599 
commission shall issue a license authorizing the nonwagering 600     
 
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permitholder to conduct non wagering horseracing during the next 601 
state fiscal succeeding calendar year during the period and for 602 
the number of days set forth in the application, subject to all 603 
other provisions of this section. 604 
 (c)  The commission may extend a nonwagering license for 605 
the 2024 calendar year through the 2024 -2025 fiscal year upon 606 
application for such extension by the nonwagering permitholder 607 
conduct an eligibility investigation to determine the 608 
qualifications of any new ownership or management interest in 609 
the permit. 610 
 Section 13.  Subsection (1) of section 550.5251, Florida 611 
Statutes, is amended to read: 612 
 550.5251  Florida thoroughbred racing; certain permits; 613 
operating days.— 614 
 (1)  Each thoroughbred permitholder shall annually, during 615 
the period commencing January December 15 of each year and 616 
ending February January 4 of the following year, file in writing 617 
with the commission its application to conduct one or more 618 
thoroughbred racing meetings during the thoroughbred racing 619 
season commencing on the following July 1. Each application 620 
shall specify the number and dates of all performances that the 621 
permitholder intends to conduct during that thoroughbred racing 622 
season. On or before April March 15 of each year, the commission 623 
shall issue a license authorizing each permitholde r to conduct 624 
performances on the dates specified in its application. Up to 625     
 
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March February 28 of each year, each permitholder may request 626 
and shall be granted changes in its application to conduct 627 
authorized performances; but thereafter, as a condition 628 
precedent to the validity of its license and its right to retain 629 
its permit, each permitholder must operate the full number of 630 
days authorized on each of the dates set forth in its license. 631 
 Section 14.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (4) and subsection 632 
(8) of section 551.104, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 633 
 551.104  License to conduct slot machine gaming. — 634 
 (4)  As a condition of licensure and to maintain continued 635 
authority for the conduct of slot machine gaming, the slot 636 
machine licensee shall: 637 
 (b)  Continue to be in compliance with chapter 550, when 638 
where applicable, and maintain the pari -mutuel permit and 639 
license in good standing pursuant to the provisions of chapter 640 
550. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of law and in order 641 
to expedite the operation of slot machines at eligible 642 
facilities, any eligible facility shall be entitled within 60 643 
days after the effective date of this act to amend its 2006 -2007 644 
pari-mutuel wagering operating license issued by the commission 645 
under ss. 550.0115 and 550.01 215. The commission shall issue a 646 
new license to the eligible facility to effectuate any approved 647 
change. 648 
 (8)  A slot machine licensee shall file with the commission 649 
an audit of the receipt and distribution of all slot machine 650     
 
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revenues provided by an inde pendent certified public accountant 651 
licensed under chapter 473 verifying compliance with all 652 
financial and auditing provisions of this chapter and the 653 
associated rules adopted under this chapter . The audit must 654 
include verification of compliance with all s tatutes and rules 655 
regarding all required records of slot machine operations. Such 656 
audit must shall be filed within 120 60 days after the end of 657 
the slot machine licensee's fiscal year completion of the 658 
permitholder's pari-mutuel meet. 659 
 Section 15.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (6) of section 660 
551.107, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 661 
 551.107  Slot machine occupational license; findings; 662 
application; fee.— 663 
 (6) 664 
 (b)  The commission may deny, revoke, or refuse to renew 665 
any slot machine occupational lice nse if the applicant for such 666 
license or the licensee has been convicted of a felony or 667 
misdemeanor in this state, in any other state, or under the laws 668 
of the United States if such felony or misdemeanor is related to 669 
gambling or bookmaking as described in s. 849.25. The 670 
restrictions authorized in this paragraph may be waived by the 671 
commission if the applicant establishes that he or she is of 672 
good moral character, that he or she has been rehabilitated, and 673 
that the crime he or she was convicted of is not re lated to slot 674 
machine gaming and is not a capital offense. 675     
 
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 Section 16.  For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 676 
made by this act to section 550.0951, Florida Statutes, in 677 
references thereto, paragraph (c) of subsection (2) of section 678 
212.04, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read: 679 
 212.04  Admissions tax; rate, procedure, enforcement. — 680 
 (2) 681 
 (c)  The taxes imposed by this section shall be collected 682 
in addition to the admission tax collected pursuant to s. 683 
550.0951, but the amount collected under s . 550.0951 shall not 684 
be subject to taxation under this chapter. 685 
 Section 17.  For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 686 
made by this act to section 550.0951, Florida Statutes, in a 687 
reference thereto, subsection (4) of section 550.0351, Florida 688 
Statutes, is reenacted to read: 689 
 550.0351  Charity racing days. — 690 
 (4)  The total of all profits derived from the conduct of a 691 
charity day performance must include all revenues derived from 692 
the conduct of that racing performance, including all state 693 
taxes that would otherwise be due to the state, except that the 694 
daily license fee as provided in s. 550.0951(1) and the breaks 695 
for the promotional trust funds as provided in s. 550.2625(3), 696 
(4), (5), (7), and (8) shall be paid to the commission. All 697 
other revenues from the charity racing performance, including 698 
the commissions, breaks, and admissions and the revenues from 699 
parking, programs, and concessions, shall be included in the 700     
 
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total of all profits. 701 
 Section 18.  For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 702 
made by this act to section 550.0951, Florida Statutes, in 703 
references thereto, subsection (2) of section 550.09511, Florida 704 
Statutes, is reenacted to read: 705 
 550.09511  Jai alai taxes; abandoned interest in a permit 706 
for nonpayment of taxes. — 707 
 (2)  Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 550.0951(3)(b), 708 
wagering on live jai alai performances shall be subject to the 709 
following taxes: 710 
 (a)1.  The tax on handle per performance for live jai alai 711 
performances is 4.25 percent of handle per performance. However , 712 
when the live handle of a permitholder during the preceding 713 
state fiscal year was less than $15 million, the tax shall be 714 
paid on the handle in excess of $30,000 per performance per day. 715 
 2.  The tax rate shall be applicable only until the 716 
requirements of paragraph (b) are met. 717 
 (b)  At such time as the total of admissions tax, daily 718 
license fee, and tax on handle for live jai alai performances 719 
paid to the commission by a permitholder during the current 720 
state fiscal year exceeds the total state tax revenu es from 721 
wagering on live jai alai performances paid or due by the 722 
permitholder in fiscal year 1991 -1992, the permitholder shall 723 
pay tax on handle for live jai alai performances at a rate of 724 
2.55 percent of the handle per performance for the remainder of 725     
 
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the current state fiscal year. For purposes of this section, 726 
total state tax revenues on live jai alai wagering in fiscal 727 
year 1991-1992 shall include any admissions tax, tax on handle, 728 
surtaxes on handle, and daily license fees. 729 
 (c)  If no tax on handle fo r live jai alai performances 730 
were paid to the commission by a jai alai permitholder during 731 
the 1991-1992 state fiscal year, then at such time as the total 732 
of admissions tax, daily license fee, and tax on handle for live 733 
jai alai performances paid to the co mmission by a permitholder 734 
during the current state fiscal year exceeds the total state tax 735 
revenues from wagering on live jai alai performances paid or due 736 
by the permitholder in the last state fiscal year in which the 737 
permitholder conducted a full schedu le of live games, the 738 
permitholder shall pay tax on handle for live jai alai 739 
performances at a rate of 3.3 percent of the handle per 740 
performance for the remainder of the current state fiscal year. 741 
For purposes of this section, total state tax revenues on l ive 742 
jai alai wagering shall include any admissions tax, tax on 743 
handle, surtaxes on handle, and daily license fees. This 744 
paragraph shall take effect July 1, 1993. 745 
 (d)  A permitholder who obtains a new permit issued by the 746 
commission subsequent to the 1991 -1992 state fiscal year and a 747 
permitholder whose permit has been converted to a jai alai 748 
permit under the provisions of this chapter, shall, at such time 749 
as the total of admissions tax, daily license fee, and tax on 750     
 
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handle for live jai alai performances paid to the commission by 751 
the permitholder during the current state fiscal year exceeds 752 
the average total state tax revenues from wagering on live jai 753 
alai performances for the first 3 consecutive jai alai seasons 754 
paid to or due the commission by the permitholder and during 755 
which the permitholder conducted a full schedule of live games, 756 
pay tax on handle for live jai alai performances at a rate of 757 
3.3 percent of the ha ndle per performance for the remainder of 758 
the current state fiscal year. 759 
 (e)  The payment of taxes pursuant to paragraphs (b), (c), 760 
and (d) shall be calculated and commence beginning the day in 761 
which the permitholder is first entitled to the reduced rate 762 
specified in this section and the report of taxes required by s. 763 
550.0951(5) is submitted to the commission. 764 
 (f)  A jai alai permitholder paying taxes under this 765 
section shall retain the breaks and pay an amount equal to the 766 
breaks as special prize awards which shall be in addition to the 767 
regular contracted prize money paid to jai alai players at the 768 
permitholder's facility. Payment of the special prize money 769 
shall be made during the permitholder's current meet. 770 
 (g)  For purposes of this section, "handle" shall have the 771 
same meaning as in s. 550.0951, and shall not include handle 772 
from intertrack wagering. 773 
 Section 19.  For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 774 
made by this act to section 550.0951, Florida Statutes, in a 775     
 
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reference thereto, subsection (4) of section 550.09512, Florida 776 
Statutes, is reenacted to read: 777 
 550.09512  Harness horse taxes; abandoned interest in a 778 
permit for nonpayment of taxes. — 779 
 (4)  In the event that a court of competent jurisdiction 780 
determines any of the provisions of this section to be 781 
unconstitutional, it is the intent of the Legislature that the 782 
provisions contained in this section shall be null and void and 783 
that the provisions of s. 550.0951 shall apply to all harness 784 
horse permitholders beginning on the date of such jud icial 785 
determination. To this end, the Legislature declares that it 786 
would not have enacted any of the provisions of this section 787 
individually and, to that end, expressly finds them not to be 788 
severable. 789 
 Section 20.  For the purpose of incorporating the am endment 790 
made by this act to section 550.0951, Florida Statutes, in 791 
references thereto, subsection (1) and paragraph (e) of 792 
subsection (2) of section 550.09514, Florida Statutes, are 793 
reenacted to read: 794 
 550.09514  Greyhound dogracing taxes; purse requiremen ts.— 795 
 (1)  Wagering on greyhound racing is subject to a tax on 796 
handle for live greyhound racing as specified in s. 550.0951(3). 797 
However, each permitholder shall pay no tax on handle until such 798 
time as this subsection has resulted in a tax savings per state 799 
fiscal year of $360,000. Thereafter, each permitholder shall pay 800     
 
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the tax as specified in s. 550.0951(3) on all handle for the 801 
remainder of the permitholder's current race meet. For the three 802 
permitholders that conducted a full schedule of live racing in 803 
1995, and are closest to another state that authorizes greyhound 804 
pari-mutuel wagering, the maximum tax savings per state fiscal 805 
year shall be $500,000. The provisions of this subsection 806 
relating to tax exemptions shall not apply to any charity or 807 
scholarship performances conducted pursuant to s. 550.0351. 808 
 (2) 809 
 (e)  In addition to the purse requirements of paragraphs 810 
(a)-(c), each greyhound permitholder shall pay as purses an 811 
amount equal to one-third of the amount of the tax reduction on 812 
live and simulcast handle applicable to such permitholder as a 813 
result of the reductions in tax rates provided by this act 814 
through the amendments to s. 550.0951(3). With respect to 815 
intertrack wagering when the host and guest tracks are greyhound 816 
permitholders not within the s ame market area, an amount equal 817 
to the tax reduction applicable to the guest track handle as a 818 
result of the reduction in tax rate provided by this act through 819 
the amendment to s. 550.0951(3) shall be distributed to the 820 
guest track, one-third of which amount shall be paid as purses 821 
at the guest track. However, if the guest track is a greyhound 822 
permitholder within the market area of the host or if the guest 823 
track is not a greyhound permitholder, an amount equal to such 824 
tax reduction applicable to the guest track handle shall be 825     
 
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retained by the host track, one -third of which amount shall be 826 
paid as purses at the host track. These purse funds shall be 827 
disbursed in the week received if the permitholder conducts at 828 
least one live performance during that week. If the permitholder 829 
does not conduct at least one live performance during the week 830 
in which the purse funds are received, the purse funds shall be 831 
disbursed weekly during the permitholder's next race meet in an 832 
amount determined by dividing the purse amount by the number of 833 
performances approved for the permitholder pursuant to its 834 
annual license, and multiplying that amount by the number of 835 
performances conducted each week. The commission shall conduct 836 
audits necessary to ensure compliance with this paragrap h. 837 
 Section 21.  For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 838 
made by this act to section 550.0951, Florida Statutes, in a 839 
reference thereto, subsection (3) of section 550.09516, Florida 840 
Statutes, is reenacted to read: 841 
 550.09516  Credit for eligible p ermitholders conducting 842 
thoroughbred racing. — 843 
 (3)  Beginning July 1, 2023, and each July 1 thereafter, 844 
each permitholder granted a credit pursuant to this section may 845 
apply the credit to the taxes and fees due under ss. 550.0951, 846 
550.09515, and 550.3551(3 ), less any credit received by the 847 
permitholder under s. 550.09515(6), and less the amount of state 848 
taxes that would otherwise be due to the state for the conduct 849 
of charity day performances under s. 550.0351(4). The unused 850     
 
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portion of the credit may be car ried forward and applied each 851 
month as taxes and fees become due. Any unused credit remaining 852 
at the end of a fiscal year expires and may not be used. 853 
 Section 22.  For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 854 
made by this act to section 550.0951, Flor ida Statutes, in a 855 
reference thereto, subsection (1) of section 550.135, Florida 856 
Statutes, is reenacted to read: 857 
 550.135  Division of moneys derived under this law. —All 858 
moneys that are deposited with the Chief Financial Officer to 859 
the credit of the Pari -mutuel Wagering Trust Fund shall be 860 
distributed as follows: 861 
 (1)  The daily license fee revenues collected pursuant to 862 
s. 550.0951(1) shall be used to fund the operating cost of the 863 
commission; however, other collections in the Pari -mutuel 864 
Wagering Trust Fund may also be used to fund the operation of 865 
the commission in accordance with authorized appropriations. 866 
 Section 23.  For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 867 
made by this act to section 550.0951, Florida Statutes, in 868 
references thereto, subsecti on (2) of section 550.1625, Florida 869 
Statutes, is reenacted to read: 870 
 550.1625  Dogracing; taxes. — 871 
 (2)  A permitholder that conducts a dograce meet under this 872 
chapter must pay the daily license fee, the admission tax, the 873 
breaks tax, and the tax on pari -mutuel handle as provided in s. 874 
550.0951 and is subject to all penalties and sanctions provided 875     
 
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in s. 550.0951(6). 876 
 Section 24.  For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 877 
made by this act to section 550.0951, Florida Statutes, in 878 
references thereto, s ubsections (3) through (6) of section 879 
550.26352, Florida Statutes, are reenacted to read: 880 
 550.26352  Breeders' Cup Meet; pools authorized; conflicts; 881 
taxes; credits; transmission of races; rules; application. — 882 
 (3)  If the permitholder conducting the Bree ders' Cup Meet 883 
is located within 35 miles of one or more permitholders 884 
scheduled to conduct a thoroughbred race meet on any of the 3 885 
days of the Breeders' Cup Meet, then operation on any of those 3 886 
days by the other permitholders is prohibited. As compensa tion 887 
for the loss of racing days caused thereby, such operating 888 
permitholders shall receive a credit against the taxes otherwise 889 
due and payable to the state under ss. 550.0951 and 550.09515. 890 
This credit shall be in an amount equal to the operating loss 891 
determined to have been suffered by the operating permitholders 892 
as a result of not operating on the prohibited racing days, but 893 
shall not exceed a total of $950,000. The determination of the 894 
amount to be credited shall be made by the commission upon 895 
application by the operating permitholder. The tax credits 896 
provided in this subsection shall not be available unless an 897 
operating permitholder is required to close a bona fide meet 898 
consisting in part of no fewer than 10 scheduled performances in 899 
the 15 days immediately preceding or 10 scheduled performances 900     
 
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in the 15 days immediately following the Breeders' Cup Meet. 901 
Such tax credit shall be in lieu of any other compensation or 902 
consideration for the loss of racing days. There shall be no 903 
replacement or makeup of an y lost racing days. 904 
 (4)  Notwithstanding any provision of ss. 550.0951 and 905 
550.09515, the permitholder conducting the Breeders' Cup Meet 906 
shall pay no taxes on the handle included within the pari -mutuel 907 
pools of said permitholder during the Breeders' Cup M eet. 908 
 (5)  The permitholder conducting the Breeders' Cup Meet 909 
shall receive a credit against the taxes otherwise due and 910 
payable to the state under ss. 550.0951 and 550.09515 generated 911 
during said permitholder's next ensuing regular thoroughbred 912 
race meet. This credit shall be in an amount not to exceed 913 
$950,000 and shall be utilized by the permitholder to pay the 914 
purses offered by the permitholder during the Breeders' Cup Meet 915 
in excess of the purses which the permitholder is otherwise 916 
required by law to p ay. The amount to be credited shall be 917 
determined by the commission upon application of the 918 
permitholder which is subject to audit by the commission. 919 
 (6)  The permitholder conducting the Breeders' Cup Meet 920 
shall receive a credit against the taxes otherwis e due and 921 
payable to the state under ss. 550.0951 and 550.09515 generated 922 
during said permitholder's next ensuing regular thoroughbred 923 
race meet. This credit shall be in an amount not to exceed 924 
$950,000 and shall be utilized by the permitholder for such 925     
 
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capital improvements and extraordinary expenses as may be 926 
necessary for operation of the Breeders' Cup Meet. The amount to 927 
be credited shall be determined by the commission upon 928 
application of the permitholder which is subject to audit by the 929 
commission. 930 
 Section 25.  For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 931 
made by this act to section 550.0951, Florida Statutes, in 932 
references thereto, subsection (4) of section 550.375, Florida 933 
Statutes, is reenacted to read: 934 
 550.375  Operation of certain harness tra cks.— 935 
 (4)  The permitholder conducting a harness horse race meet 936 
must pay the daily license fee, the admission tax, the tax on 937 
breaks, and the tax on pari -mutuel handle provided in s. 938 
550.0951 and is subject to all penalties and sanctions provided 939 
in s. 550.0951(6). 940 
 Section 26.  Except as otherwise expressly provided in this 941 
act and except for this section, which shall take effect upon 942 
this act becoming a law, this act shall take effect July 1, 943 
2024. 944