Are Casinos Coming to Miami?

March 19, 2021

Jeffrey Soffer, billionaire and son of real estate developer Donald Soffer, is pushing lawmakers to update Florida gambling laws. According to Miami’s Local 10 News, Miami Beach commissioners have hired lawyers to stop Soffer from building a casino under the Fontainebleau brand.

Miami Beach Mayor Gelber’s mission is to ‘discourage late-night entertainment in the city,’ and Soffer’s plan to build a casino goes against this.

According to Mayor Gelber, “What they are going to want to do apparently is take casino licenses, take gaming licenses, gambling licenses that exist right now in parimutuels — slot machines, card games, and things like that — and allow them to become portable.”

Also reported to be involved in the endeavor includes former President Donald Trump, who wants to open a casino at his current resort, Doral.

The Miami Herald has reported that Governor Ron DeSantis, has met with parimutuel owners to discuss casino openings and guidelines.

As part of he legislation, Genting’s Resort World Miami as well as the Seminole Tribe would be included and would greatly benefit from the legalization.

If this legislation passes, gambling licenses would be allowed to transfer into areas that currently do not allow it and local governments could not enforce any laws prohibiting it. The legislation is currently being drafted and will be released to the public within the next few weeks.