Committee backing dog racing ban spends $1.8M on media buy

greyhound shelters

A week after it brought in a $1.5 million check from a foundation established by movie star Doris Day, the committee backing a proposed constitutional amendment to ban greyhound racing followed through with a planned $1.85 million a media buy.

The money was paid in a lump sum from the Committee to Protect Dogs to Denver-based Blue West Media, which bills itself as a “full-service media placement agency.” The only other expenditures listed in the report, which covered July 21 through July 27, were a $6,500 payment for media production and a small fee for postage.

The media buy was expected — committee co-chairwoman Kate MacFall said the money received from the Doris Day Animal League would be used on an ad buy that would put commercials on the air in the Tampa, Miami and Orlando media markets starting in October.

Not as expected, however, was the recent ruling by a Tallahassee judge that the proposed amendment shouldn’t go on the November ballot. The media buy was placed just days before that decision was handed down.

According to Circuit Judge Karen Gievers, Amendment 13 would ban betting on live dog racing in Florida without making it clear that trackgoers could still bet on ‘simulcast‘ dog races from outside the state. The judge added that the proposal doesn’t was also opaque about a “yes” vote serving as an approval of other forms of betting — such as card games and slot machines — to continue at tracks that have them.

That ruling is being appealed by the state.

Also included in the new campaign finance report as another $100,000 check from Grey2K USA Worldwide. The group has now pumped more than $300,000 into the committee.

In all, the Committee to Protect Dogs has raised just over $2 million since it was formed in mid-March. It finished the reporting period with $110,545 in the bank.

Staff Reports


12 comments

  • Another Waste of the peoples money

    August 3, 2018 at 6:25 pm

    The Doris Day foundation is actually the HSUS, they merged in 2006, they use this to make it sound better for their agenda https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/humane-society-and-doris-day-animal-league-merge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Day_Animal_League Good luck, I have confidence the Supreme Court will see through the BS and it will be just like any other day in the animal rights business….a bunch of money wasted helping nobody other than the activists themselves!

  • Brian Brady

    August 3, 2018 at 8:27 pm

    This is the group that claims to be “grass roots”? When will the animal activists donors that are funding these groups realize that truth and their information rarely collide in the same paragraph. #noon13

  • Craig Laginess

    August 3, 2018 at 10:02 pm

    They just wanted $1.8 million that could’ve went towards the actual care and welfare for animals. #trickeration #grey2klies #hsuslie #noon13

    • Craig Laginess

      August 3, 2018 at 10:03 pm

      I meant wasted.

  • Micheal

    August 3, 2018 at 10:16 pm

    and they call it Grassroots, just a bunch of nut jobs with nothing better to do than swindle money from people by lying and being deceitful. Florida people are smarter than that, they dont want out of state people messing with their constitution based on lies like the judge said

  • Juliana G Robertson

    August 3, 2018 at 11:37 pm

    The anti-racing groups have never been about helping greyhounds. They have always only kinda half-heartedly wanted to ban racing because if racing goes so does all the money that they spend on “administration”. Spending $1.8 on TV ads is pretty ridiculous, and it was pretty ridiculous of the Doris Day Foundation to give it to them knowing full well it would be spent on media, not animals. How many animals could have benefited from that money? Racing is not abuse. It is actually a safety net that ensures adoption, and is a safety net that no other breed has. That safety net will go away if racing goes away. PS – all the stuff that the anti-racing people use in their ads, it just is not the truth. The greyhounds need you to be responsible. If you are going to vote against them, because a vote against racing is a vote against greyhounds, go to a track first so you can see the truth. They will welcome you with open arms. See what 65 + adoption greyhound adoption groups are trying to tell you – racing is essential for the continued well-being of greyhounds.

  • Randell

    August 4, 2018 at 7:33 am

    These organizations couldn’t be anymore corrupt. 1.8 million that could have went to real animal welfare!

  • dave

    August 6, 2018 at 6:44 pm

    You’re all squealing little pigs…. LMAO.. same bunch of whiners every post.. this time one thinks 1.8 million is a lot of money for advertising. Another thinks that the 1.8 million should take care of someone elses responsibility. The state doesnt own the dogs….. what a bunch of dumb F***s..

    racing is not essential for the well being of the dogs.. who the hell do you think you kidding.. stupidest bunch of bullshit ever said.. go home and suck it up a**holes…

    • Andy

      August 7, 2018 at 7:19 am

      That you spout such profanity is proof of your lack of class, fitting for a strip joint operator. You still haven’t told us what date the legislature put 3 on the ballot…..

      • Andy's Gay Dad

        August 7, 2018 at 8:34 am

        Strip joint operator?? What the hell are you talking about? Your one of the biggest a** holes on here. Mr Genius super handicaapper. The degenerate with losers for friends. I laugh at you to your face. Everyday I go to work I see bums like you gambling looking like bums off the street. LMAO.. Like I said your an easy target. Dumb as a stump..

        • Andy

          August 7, 2018 at 2:53 pm

          Not so dumb as to not know how a petition drive works, there classless one. You STILL haven’t told us when the legislature put 3 on the ballot. That alone proves your ignorance. I’m happy to educate you on all this

  • Fred Barton

    August 14, 2018 at 3:58 pm

    It is unfortunate that, in this day and age, it costs so much money to do the right thing, but ending greyhound racing is certainly a case where the end justifies the means. If we can free greyhound from the racing gulags they are trapped in every penny will have been worth it.

    I am a Board member of GREY2K USA Worldwide, an organization that fights to save these marvelous creatures all over the globe. (you can learn more about us here: http://www.grey2kusa.org.) I have fostered and adopted rescued racing greyhounds since 1995. I cannot imagine abandoning any of them when they become injured, old or sick and yet this is routinely what happens to them at operating tracks and will continue to happen as long as racing is allowed to exist.
    Fred Barton
    Board Member
    GREY2K USA Worldwide

Comments are closed.


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