Just posturing - it's comical how every time the mention of slots at Tampa comes up, the Indians, the Bible Thumpers, and PETA all figure out a way to crawl into bed with each other and lobby the notion out the window anyway.
Considering the economy, the fact that the handle was down only 2.7% for the meet is nothing short of miraculous. By comparison, the spring Keeneland meet was off by double digits.
As far as the land being more valuable as something else - good luck. This place is so ravaged with half empty shopping complexes and residential foreclosures that we would wind up with nothing but a heaping pile of debris (ala Bay Meadows) for many, many years.
It amazes me how many people oppose the compact. The Seminoles have an incontestable right to do what ever they wish legally on their land as it is recognized by the US govt. as a sovereign nation. Fighting that only makes the lawyers rich.
Crist recognizes this and worked a deal to fore go the endless litigation and rather stick 150 billion of the Indians' money in the state coffers. The reality of a state run slot parlor at TBD is a pipe dream, especially since the real casino is a half hour away.
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