Having a background in horses, South Florida State Rep. Dan Daley (D-97) has successfully passed HB 1269 through its second committee. The bill intends to bring back standardbred racing in Florida.
With only the Commerce Committee left, Daley's bill has managed to pass both the Regulatory Reform Subcommittee and the State Administration & Technology Appropriations Subcommittee. Rep. Dailey took to Twitter to celebrate today's progress for the legislation:
Proud to report HB 1269 that would bring back standardbred racing in Florida passed through its second committee stop! pic.twitter.com/qS8jqtw58j
— Representative Dan Daley (@RepDanDaley) February 22, 2022
This is not Daley's first crack at the issue. Last year his efforts failed with a lack of support in the Florida Senate. The Senate counterpart to HB 1269, SB 1794, sponsored by State Senator Shevrin Jones (D-35), has remained stagnant.
"An unfortunate consequence of the Special Session on Gaming was that certain members of the Legislature chose to put nearly 10,000 Floridians out of business by siding with an out-of-state multi-billion-dollar casino company." Previously stated Rep. Daley. Adding, "Harness racing, or Standardbred racing, enjoys a tradition in Florida that is over half a century-long, an important piece of our state’s agriculture economy. HB 1269, which I filed for the 2022 session, provides an avenue for harness racing to return to Florida while allowing the families in this industry to operate their small businesses and continue to raise their families."
With only one committee left, Daley's bill becoming law looks more probable. If passed and signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) the legislation would be effective July 1, 2022.
