Waterfront Casino in Miami? Why not here?

[north miami]

The Dade county complex  sprouted on the fringe of the designated Everglades is an eyesore evident from the interior Glades as far as Twenty Mile Bend.

funny how an entity once absolutely forbidden gains acceptance,step by step,typically via " conservative" political players so quick to warn of slippery slopes elsewhere........

back to Jacksonville and the core of this thread,where in fact are the Duval county sites under consideration?

[I-10east]

I'm so sick of this so called 'underground teflon GOB network' like First Baptist  for example, that forever supposedly has a stranglehold on everything concerning Jax, like we're some freaking Mayberry. So I guess that the teflon dons in FBC have approved on some progressive things in this city like the Jags, The Super Bowl etc by coincidence? I don't buy that.

[tufsu1]

well nm....the Miami example you mention is owned and operated by a ribe...so if the Seminoles, Miccosukees, or any other tribe owned land in Jacksonville they might be able to build one.

Now of course there is a push to allow gaming in south Florida beyond what the tribes and parimutuels have....for now it is limited to south Florida to protect the agreement the state has with the Seminoles, but I would suspect that it will eventuially be opened up to the state as a whole.

Pennsylvania is a good example, where I believe they allowed for 5 locations in the state....there was much jockeying for the positions but in the end they got spread throughout....so if Florida followed suit, I could see 3 in southeast Florida, 1 in southwest Florida, 2 in central Florida, 1 in northeast Florida, and 1 in northwest Florida.

[tufsu1]

and here's an article w/ the latest

http://www.thefloridacurrent.com/article.cfm?id=25442665&utm_source=not_lt_user&utm_medium=article_link&utm_campaign=current_email

[fieldafm]

I don't think you can have an honest discussion about opening more gaming facilities in Florida, until you close down the illegal 'sweepstakes' operations that currently litter the state.

City council dropped the ball on this, BIG TIME, here locally.

[Tacachale]

^That's part of what the casino-pushers are saying, field. They want to create a state gaming commission to regulate gambling. In reality the state and local governments are perfectly equipped to regulate gaming and deal with illegal gambling, whether or not they actually do anything about it; the commission is just another level of bureaucracy to justify this change we don't need.

[avonjax]

I'm so sick of this so called 'underground teflon GOB network' like First Baptist  for example, that forever supposedly has a stranglehold on everything concerning Jax, like we're some freaking Mayberry. So I guess that the teflon dons in FBC have approved on some progressive things in this city like the Jags, The Super Bowl etc by coincidence? I don't buy that.

underground teflon GOB network or not, we generally behave like Mayberry. So it really doesn't matter either way.

[Tacachale]

well nm....the Miami example you mention is owned and operated by a ribe...so if the Seminoles, Miccosukees, or any other tribe owned land in Jacksonville they might be able to build one.

Well, for one thing, there aren't any other tribes in this state; the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida are the only federally recognized tribes. The state's compound was worked out with the Seminole, but the Miccosukee Tribe explicitly receive any rights the Seminole get.

You are right, though - the tribes could build a casino here, and have looked into it in the past. The primary reason they haven't (besides some local resistance) is that they don't have land here and it's far from their reservations. They have also looked into Orlando, but expect the Mouse and associates to let that happen in a similar timeframe as legal bordellos and hash bars.

If we really wanted a casino in Jacksonville the easiest way to do it would be to work with the Seminole on building one. That wouldn't require major changes to state law, a new gaming commission, or a $2 billion pricetag.

Now of course there is a push to allow gaming in south Florida beyond what the tribes and parimutuels have....for now it is limited to south Florida to protect the agreement the state has with the Seminoles, but I would suspect that it will eventuially be opened up to the state as a whole.

Pennsylvania is a good example, where I believe they allowed for 5 locations in the state....there was much jockeying for the positions but in the end they got spread throughout....so if Florida followed suit, I could see 3 in southeast Florida, 1 in southwest Florida, 2 in central Florida, 1 in northeast Florida, and 1 in northwest Florida.

You are probably right. Once we've opened the door for the Miami Pork Machine, investors will likely pressure the legislature into further reneging on our contract so they can build sleazy eyesores all over the state.

[RockStar]

How about just a nice, paddlewheel casino boat, cruising the St Johns, with a really nice restaurant. Pick up at the Landing every hour or so...

[fsujax]

Now the paddle boats would be a cool idea. They can't do that in Miami or Orlando. It could be unique to Jacksonville.

[thelakelander]

^Savannah this past weekend.  Unfortunately, tourist don't confine themselves to state lines.  The paddle boat thing can and already occurs in just about every Southern city with a river.

[urbanlibertarian]

Wouldn't it be cool if the Seminole tribe partnered with the Hyatt or Toney Sleiman or someone else to put a casino/convention center on the old courthouse site and there was no public money involved?  You know, a private-private partnership.

[I-10east]

underground teflon GOB network or not, we generally behave like Mayberry. So it really doesn't matter either way.

Thanks for the obligatory negative feedback; It wouldn't be MJ without it.

[Tacachale]

Wouldn't it be cool if the Seminole tribe partnered with the Hyatt or Toney Sleiman or someone else to put a casino/convention center on the old courthouse site and there was no public money involved?  You know, a private-private partnership.

For one thing, if it was a true Class III casino the Seminole would have to be the outright owners, or it would breach the compound. We'll see how interested they are in building downtown casinos now that Class III gaming is legal - assuming that the state doesn't breach its part of the contract first.

[simms3]

Interesting article from 2003, an opinion piece on gambling in cities:

Lack of arts funding hobbles Atlanta's growth

Date: Monday, December 8, 2003

Wasn't it just a few years ago that we envisioned Atlanta becoming an international city? With a proposal to approve gambling it seems our focus has changed ["Pitts will ask state to OK gambling," Oct. 24].

Does a single true international business city exist that has gambling as a key component of its identity? Have our reputation and situation become so eroded that we should follow Detroit and Mississippi as examples?

If Atlanta is to be an important city, we must be an intelligent city. Together we must keep the big picture in spite of our harsh reality.

This is the only way to create a place where we wish to live and invite the world to be our guests.

Thinking big means knowing our resources and advantages; it also means contemplating what it takes to be successful. I maintain that Atlanta cannot fully compete in the global marketplace by simply being a transportation and business hub. We have to offer a distinct, vibrant and indigenous arts culture to the world.

To do this, we have to develop that culture by supporting the arts. Great cities have been and always will be tied to their unique perspectives and contributions to culture.

Atlanta Business Chronicle recently reported on the study by the Regional Task Force and Research Atlanta, "Funding for the Arts: Earmarked Taxes and Options for Metropolitan Atlanta" [Special Section, Sept. 26]. The study explored options and benefits to the arts received by other cities through taxes. It is good to see that our business leaders are considering the necessity and various approaches for support of the arts.

Charles Green expressed another point of view in his recent article, "Creative thinking, not taxes, needed for arts" [Oct. 24]. He noted our looming bills for infrastructure and the laggard economy, and suggested that taxes are not only a long shot, but also perhaps the laziest way to fund the arts.

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2003/12/08/editorial4.html