Fontainebleau Miami Owner Eyes Casino with Political Donations
Posted on: January 14, 2024, 08:14h.
Last updated on: January 14, 2024, 08:14h.
With multiple gaming expansion bills on the docket in the Florida legislature this year, Fontainebleau Miami Beach owner Jeffrey Soffer previously donated to state politicians in hopes of bringing a casino to the famed hotel.
Recent campaign finance reports indicate groups with ties to the real estate developer donated more than $300,000 last year to political action committees (PACs) that contribute to various Florida lawmakers’ campaigns. Some of those contributions were directed to nine Republicans that represent various parts of Miami-Dade County.
Those political donations came in advance of the Florida legislature, which is in session for just two months this year, hearing proposals that could finally open the door to long a sought after casino hotels in the Miami area.
Specifically, the bills say those with greyhound dog racing permits and authorization to conduct casino activities — such as Soffer’s Big Easy Casino in Hallandale Beach — should be allowed to relocate the operation of ‘all pari-mutuel wagering and gaming activities,’” reports Aaron Leibowitz and Ana Ceballos for the Miami Herald.
Soffer and Trump National Doral, which is controlled by the Trump Organization, attempted to procure gaming licenses in 2021, but those efforts faltered.
Miami Casinos Still Viewed as Long Shots
Along with New York, Miami Beach is arguably one of the most coveted though untapped casino markets in the US.
However, Miami Beach, which is incorporated separately of Miami, has officially banned casinos since 2017, indicating that changing that regulation could be costly and time-consuming.
John Sowinski, who runs the No Casinos group, told the Herald that Miami Beach is one of the most anti-gaming locales in the state and that frequent attempts to bring casinos to the city further embolden citizens there to oppose those efforts.
He previously led the Voters in Charge group that pushed the Amendment 3 ballot initiative in the 2018 mid-term election. That amendment, which was passed with ease, requires that any casino gaming expansion in Florida be approved by voters.
Even if the Miami Beach casino effort were to make progress, it’d likely draw the ire of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The parent of Hard Rock casinos has a grip on land-based gaming venues in the state and the financial resources to stifle related expansion in which they are not involved.
Fontainebleau Miami Owner Widespread Political Donations
Groups with ties to Fontainebleau and Big Easy Casino donated $50,000 last September to the Republican Party of Florida and $25,000 last June to the Florida Senatorial Republican Campaign Committee.
Another $15,000 was contributed last September to Principled Moral Conservatism, a PAC controlled by a state representative whose district is in Miami-Dade County. Campaign finance data indicate entities with ties to Soffer also contributed $10,000 to another eight Republican-controlled PACs.
Soffer isn’t new to contributing to Florida political campaigns. Since he acquired the Big Easy Casino in 2018, he’s doled out $2.5 million in contributions to Sunshine State politicians, including GOP presidential candidate and Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Source: casino.org
