Drew Wilson
The political committee fighting against a proposed constitutional amendment to limit gambling expansion brought in $525,000 from the parent company of Miami’s Magic City Casino.
The committee, Vote NO on 3, received the check from West Flagler Associates on July 31. That stack is the only contribution the committee has reported since it was formed early last month.
Vote No on 3 spent nearly all of that cash shortly after the it cleared by way of a $523,600 radio buy through Miami-based IGT Media Holdings on Aug. 3. The only other expenditure was a $20 wire transfer fee, leaving the account with $1,380 in the bank at the close of the July 28 through Aug. 3 reporting period.
Amendment 3, also known as the “Voter Control of Gambling” amendment, would tie the hands of the Legislature by “ensur(ing) that Florida voters shall have the exclusive right to decide whether to authorize casino gambling,” according to the ballot summary.
The committee backing the amendment, Voters In Charge, has received a heavy amount of support from Disney and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, who both have a stake in limiting the expansion of gambling in the state. Each chipped in $5 million in April; the committee has not posted any fundraising since then.
Overall, the pro-Amendment 3 effort has received nearly $16.75 million in contributions and has about $10 million at the ready. Earlier this week, Voters in Charge announced plans for a $30 million ad buy.
Amendment 3 is one of 13 measures that will go before voters in the 2018 general election. Proposed amendments need at least 60 percent approval to be added to the state constitution.
