Citing a “particularly heavy workload” over the next 14 days, including preparing responses for seven U.S. Supreme Court cases, Florida’s attorney general Thursday requested an extension to respond in the case pitting Gov. Ron DeSantis and members of the legislature against a pair of South Florida parimutuels.
The court has ordered DeSantis to respond to West Flagler and Associates’ (WFA) filing by Nov. 1, and the attorney general is requesting a 30-day extension.
The case brings into question the validity of the 2021 Seminole Tribe-State of Florida compact that would give the tribe a monopoly on retail and digital sports betting in the state. At question is whether DeSantis and the legislature exceeded their powers by approving a compact that includes a hub-and-spoke-model. The compact would deem a bet made anywhere in Florida to have been made on Indian lands if it flows through a server on tribal land. Such a model is not in use anywhere else in the U.S.
The case filed with the Florida Supreme Court is one of two that could affect the future of legal sports betting in Florida. WFA also has plans to file in the U.S. Supreme Court and is currently waiting on that court to determine whether or not a stay preventing the Seminoles from launching their Hard Rock Bet platform will remain in place.