Every 20 years, Florida can change its laws by reviewing and proposing changes to the state Constitution. The Animal Law Section of The Florida Bar wants to ban greyhound racing because it’s harmful to the dogs and costs a lot of money. Florida is one of the few states that still allows greyhound racing, even though many other states have stopped because it’s not fair to the dogs. The current law in Florida also costs taxpayers a lot of money. A study commissioned by the Florida Legislature found that the state loses between $1 million and $3.3 million every year because of the costs of regulating greyhound racing. The proposed change to the Constitution would stop greyhound racing in Florida. Florida Sen. Tom Lee proposed a constitutional amendment to ban greyhound racing in Florida. He was one of 37 members of the 2017-2018 CRC, and the CRC voted 27-10 in favor of putting the amendment on the ballot. Initially, they wanted to combine it with other initiatives, but then agreed to make it a separate measure. Greyhound racing has been a big deal in Florida for almost 100 years, but it’s been causing a lot of controversy lately. There are a lot of animal welfare groups that want to stop the races because they say the dogs are treated badly and get hurt a lot. There’s been a proposal to ban the races, but it got taken off the ballot because of a legal issue. The decision will be appealed, and hopefully, the people of Florida will get to vote on it. If it gets approved, the races will be banned starting in 2020. Racing greyhounds in Florida are kept in small cages for most of the day, with little time for exercise outside. In some cases, the conditions are so bad that the dogs have become seriously ill or even died. The meat they are fed is not fit for human consumption, and some dogs have been found to have taken illegal drugs. There are also no laws requiring tracks to report how many injuries the greyhounds suffer. In one county, 56 injuries were reported in a 10-month period, and some of the dogs had to be euthanized as a result. Florida used to not have to report when greyhounds died, and since 2013, 462 deaths have been reported. Greyhound racing and card rooms are connected, so the tracks have to keep racing dogs in order to have card rooms. But greyhound racing is not very profitable, and there have been efforts to change the law so that tracks can stop racing dogs. This issue has been difficult for the Florida Legislature to deal with, but there may be changes in the future. The proposed amendment in Florida would ban greyhound racing and betting on live dog races by December 31, 2020. Pari-mutuel permit holders would still be able to operate their card rooms and slots. They can also stop greyhound racing as early as January 1, 2019 without affecting their other gambling licenses. If the amendment passes, greyhound and live dog racing would be banned, but the facilities would still be able to operate other gambling activities. The Florida Greyhound Association (FGA) is against a proposed amendment to end greyhound racing in Florida. They say racing is good for the state and for the dogs, and have filed a lawsuit to stop the amendment from going on the ballot. But animal rights groups support the amendment and want it to go to the voters in November. They believe it’s time to end the suffering of racing greyhounds and that the constitution is the right place for this change. In the end, it’s up to the people of Florida to decide the future of greyhound racing. This article talks about the history and current state of greyhound racing in Florida. It discusses a proposal to end greyhound racing and a legal case related to it. It also mentions the conditions in which greyhounds are kept. The Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering investigated cases of mistreatment of racing greyhounds, including double-crating and steroid use. There have been efforts in the Florida legislature to ban the use of steroids in dog racing. There were also consent orders issued in some of the cases investigated. The Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering issued final orders and emergency suspensions for several greyhound racing cases in Florida. There have been reports of greyhound injuries at the Sanford-Orlando Greyhound Track, and the county has implemented incident reporting protocols. The Division also maintains a spreadsheet of greyhound death reports. Florida law regulates greyhound racing and sets requirements for live racing performances. The Division’s annual report provides more information on greyhound racing in the state. Greyhound racing in Florida has been a big issue for a long time. There have been reports and court cases about it. Some people want to ban greyhound racing because of animal welfare concerns. The Florida Constitution even talks about the humane treatment of animals. A lawyer named Ryan S. Parker and another lawyer named Ralph A. Demeo have been involved in this issue.
Source: https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-journal/the-proposed-constitutional-amendment-to-ban-greyhound-racing-in-florida-the-time-is-now/
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