Floridians to vote on greyhound racing ban

The Florida Constitution Revision Commission is to include a ban proposal in November ballot.

US.- Florida residents will decide next November whether to ban greyhound racing in the state after the Florida Constitution Revision Commission voted to include the issue on a voting ballot. The commission members voted 27-10 to approve its addition but it’s expected that the industry will challenge the proposed amendment.

The greyhound racing ban has been an issue for a long time in the state and lobbyists have been pushing it hard recently. After a successful run they’ve managed to get locals to vote on it, but, according to lobbyist for the Florida Greyhound Association, Jack Cory, the industry plans to challenge and prevent the constitutional amendment from happening.

Attorney General Pam Bondi – who has labelled the segment as a “black eye on Florida” – said: “We all know these dogs end up with broken legs, serious injuries and they’re shipped from track to track until they’re dead or can no longer race at all.”

Still, Mr Cory claims that the proposal received the commission’s approval due to “a misrepresentation of facts” and said: “That’s why you don’t put stuff like this in the Constitution. If you make a mistake and misrepresent the facts, you can come back and fix it. You can’t fix a constitutional amendment without extraordinary measures.”

The vote will occur on November 6th and, if the proposal passes, racing would be phased out by 2020.