Fla. Stat. § 285.710 — Florida Code / Title XIX / Chapter 285 / Part II / Section 285.710
285.710 Compact authorization.
Status: in_force

(1) As used in this section, the term: (a) “Compact” means the most recent ratified and approved gaming compact between the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the State of Florida. (b) “Covered games” means the games authorized for the Seminole Tribe of Florida under the compact. (c) “Documents” means books, records, electronic, magnetic and computer media documents, and other writings and materials, copies thereof, and information contained therein. (d) “Indian Gaming Regulatory Act” or “IGRA” means the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, Pub. L. No. 100-497, Oct. 17, 1988, 102 Stat. 2467, codified at 25 U.S.C. ss. 2701 et seq., and 18 U.S.C. ss. 1166-1168. (e) “State” means the State of Florida. (f) “State compliance agency” means the Florida Gaming Control Commission which is designated as the state agency having the authority to carry out the state’s oversight responsibilities under the compact. (g) “Tribe” means the Seminole Tribe of Florida or any affiliate thereof conducting activities pursuant to the compact under the authority of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

(2)(a) The agreement executed by the Governor and the Tribe on November 14, 2007, published in the Federal Register on January 7, 2008, and subsequently invalidated by the Florida Supreme Court in the case of Florida House of Representatives v. The Honorable Charles J. Crist , No. SC07-2154, (2008), is not ratified or approved by the Legislature, is void, and is not in effect. (b) The agreement executed by the Governor and the Tribe on August 28, 2009, and August 31, 2009, respectively, and transmitted to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, is not ratified or approved by the Legislature, is void, and is not in effect.

(3)(a) The gaming compact between the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the State of Florida, executed by the Governor and the Tribe on April 7, 2010, was ratified and approved by chapter 2010-29, Laws of Florida. (b) The gaming compact between the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the State of Florida, executed by the Governor and the Tribe on April 23, 2021, as amended on May 17, 2021, is ratified and approved. The Governor shall cooperate with the Tribe in seeking approval of such compact ratified and approved under this paragraph from the United States Secretary of the Interior. Upon becoming effective, such compact supersedes the gaming compact ratified and approved under paragraph (a). If the gaming compact ratified and approved under this paragraph is not approved by the United States Secretary of the Interior or is invalidated by court action or change in federal law, the gaming compact ratified and approved under paragraph (a) shall remain in effect.

(4) The Governor shall preserve all documents, if any, which relate to the intent or interpretation of the compact and maintain such documents for at least the term of the compact.

(5) If any provision of the compact relating to covered games, revenue-sharing payments, suspension or reduction in payments, or exclusivity is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or by the Department of the Interior to be invalid, the compact is void.

(6) If a subsequent change to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, or to an implementing regulation thereof, mandates the retroactive application of such change without the respective consent of the state or Tribe, the compact is void if the change materially alters any provision in the compact relating to covered games, revenue-sharing payments, suspension or reduction of payments, or exclusivity.

(7) The Florida Gaming Control Commission is designated as the state compliance agency having the authority to carry out the state’s oversight responsibilities under the compact authorized by this section.

(8)(a) The Governor is authorized to execute an agreement on behalf of the state with the Indian tribes in this state, acting on a government-to-government basis, to develop and implement a fair and workable arrangement to apply state taxes on persons and transactions on Indian lands. Such agreements shall address the imposition of specific taxes, including sales taxes and exemptions from those taxes. (b) The agreement shall address the Tribe’s collection and remittance of sales taxes imposed by chapter 212 to the Department of Revenue. The sales taxes collected and remitted by the Tribe shall be based on all sales to non-tribal members, except those non-tribal members who hold valid exemption certificates issued by the Department of Revenue, exempting the sales from taxes imposed by chapter 212. (c) The agreement shall require the Tribe to register with the Department of Revenue and remit to the Department of Revenue the taxes collected. (d) The agreement shall require the Tribe to retain for at least a period of 5 years records of all sales to non-tribal members which are subject to taxation under chapter 212. The agreement shall permit the Department of Revenue to conduct an audit not more often than annually in order to verify such collections. The agreement shall require the Tribe to provide reasonable access during normal operating hours to records of transactions subject to the taxes collected. (e) The agreement shall provide a procedure for the resolution of any disputes about the amounts collected pursuant to the agreement. For purposes of the agreement for the collection and remittance of sales taxes, the agreement must provide that the Tribe agrees to waive its immunity, except that the state may seek monetary damages limited to the amount of taxes owed. (f) An agreement executed by the Governor pursuant to the authority granted in this section shall not take effect unless ratified by the Legislature.

(9) The moneys paid by the Tribe to the state for the benefit of exclusivity under the compact ratified by this section shall be deposited into the General Revenue Fund. Three percent of the amount paid by the Tribe to the state shall be designated as the local government share and shall be distributed as provided in subsections (10) and (11).

(10) The calculations necessary to determine the local government share distributions shall be made by the state compliance agency based upon the net win per facility as provided by the Tribe. The local government share attributable to each casino shall be distributed as follows: (a) Broward County shall receive 22.5 percent, the City of Coconut Creek shall receive 55 percent, the City of Coral Springs shall receive 12 percent, the City of Margate shall receive 8.5 percent, and the City of Parkland shall receive 2 percent of the local government share derived from the Seminole Indian Casino-Coconut Creek. (b) Broward County shall receive 25 percent, the City of Hollywood shall receive 42.5 percent, the Town of Davie shall receive 22.5 percent, and the City of Dania Beach shall receive 10 percent of the local government share derived from the Seminole Indian Casino-Hollywood. (c) Broward County shall receive 25 percent, the City of Hollywood shall receive 42.5 percent, the Town of Davie shall receive 22.5 percent, and the City of Dania Beach shall receive 10 percent of the local government share derived from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino-Hollywood. (d) Collier County shall receive 75 percent and the Immokalee Fire Control District shall receive 25 percent of the local government share derived from the Seminole Indian Casino-Immokalee. (e) Glades County shall receive 100 percent of the local government share derived from the Seminole Indian Casino-Brighton. (f) Hendry County shall receive 100 percent of the local government share derived from the Seminole Indian Casino-Big Cypress. (g) Hillsborough County shall receive 100 percent of the local government share derived from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino-Tampa. (h) Broward County shall receive 25 percent, the City of Hollywood shall receive 35 percent, the Town of Davie shall receive 30 percent, and the City of Dania Beach shall receive 10 percent of the local government share derived from the additional facilities authorized to be added to the Tribe’s Hollywood Reservation under the gaming compact ratified, approved, and described in subsection (3).

(11) Upon receipt of the annual audited revenue figures from the Tribe and completion of the calculations as provided in subsection (10), the state compliance agency shall certify the results to the Chief Financial Officer and shall request the distributions to be paid from the General Revenue Fund within 30 days after authorization of nonoperating budget authority pursuant to s. 216.181(12).

(12) Any moneys remitted by the Tribe before the effective date of the compact shall be deposited into the General Revenue Fund and are released to the state without further obligation or encumbrance. The Legislature further finds that acceptance and appropriation of such funds does not legitimize, validate, or otherwise ratify any previously proposed compact or the operation of class III games by the Tribe for any period prior to the effective date of the compact.

(13)(a) For the purpose of satisfying the requirement in 25 U.S.C. s. 2710(d)(1)(B) that the gaming activities authorized under an Indian gaming compact must be permitted in the state for any purpose by any person, organization, or entity, the following class III games or other games specified in this section are hereby authorized to be conducted by the Tribe pursuant to the compact described in paragraph (3)(a), if the compact described in paragraph (3)(b) is not effective: 1. Slot machines, as defined in s. 551.102(9). 2. Banking or banked card games, including baccarat, chemin de fer, and blackjack or 21 at the tribal facilities in Broward County, Collier County, and Hillsborough County. 3. Raffles and drawings. (b) For the purpose of satisfying the requirement in 25 U.S.C. s. 2710(d)(1)(B) that the gaming activities authorized under an Indian gaming compact must be permitted in the state for any purpose by any person, organization, or entity, the following class III games or other games specified in this section are hereby authorized to be conducted by the Tribe pursuant to the compact described in paragraph (3)(b), when such compact has been approved by the United States Secretary of the Interior, has not been invalidated by court action or change in federal law, and is effective: 1. Slot machines, as defined in s. 551.102(9). 2. Banking or banked card games, including baccarat, chemin de fer, and blackjack (21), and card games banked by the house, by a bank established by the house, or by a player. 3. Raffles and drawings. 4. Craps, including dice games such as sic-bo and any similar variations thereof. 5. Roulette, including big six and any similar variations thereof. 6. Fantasy sports contests. The acceptance of entry fees for fantasy sports contests conducted by the Tribe, including the receipt of entry fees paid by players physically located within the state using a mobile or other electronic device, shall be deemed to be exclusively conducted by the Tribe where the servers or other devices used to conduct such contests on the Tribe’s Indian lands are located. A person must be 21 years of age or older to pay an entry fee for fantasy sports contests. 7. Sports betting. Wagers on sports betting, including wagers made by players physically located within the state using a mobile or other electronic device, shall be deemed to be exclusively conducted by the Tribe where the servers or other devices used to conduct such wagering activity on the Tribe’s Indian lands are located. A person must be 21 years of age or older to wager on sports betting. Games and gaming activities authorized under this subsection and conducted pursuant to a gaming compact ratified and approved under subsection (3) do not violate the laws of this state.

(14) Notwithstanding any other provision of state law, it is not a crime for a person to participate in the games specified in subsection (13) at a tribal facility operating under the compact entered into pursuant to this section.

History: s. 1, ch. 2009-170; s. 1, ch. 2010-29; s. 12, ch. 2011-4; ss. 1, 2, ch. 2021-268; s. 10, ch. 2021-269.