Florida legislators petition for response deadline extension in sports betting legal case

Florida legislators including state Governor Ron DeSantis have asked the Florida Supreme Court for more time to respond to the West Flagler petition for a review of the decision to approve a tribal gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe.

DeSantis, who is named as a respondent in the petition for Writ of Quo Warranto made by West Flagler Associates in September, is among those asking for a 30-day extension to the current response period, which is due to end on November 1.

Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, Paul Renner, and Kathleen Passidomo, president of the Florida Senate, are also listed as petitioners seeking the extension. The request was made via Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, along with other members of the Florida Solicitor General’s office.

In the petition, the Florida legislators cited a prior 10-day extension granted to Florida advocacy group No Casinos to file its own amicus briefs in the case, legal documents which were submitted to the Florida Supreme Court earlier this week.

The request asserts the impact of several other matters on the ability of the Florida Solicitor General’s office to respond in the case, suggesting a “heavy workload” over the next 14 days will hinder any response delivery.

The motion provides a litany of more than 15 separate cases on which responses from the Florida Solicitor General’s office are requested and due.

“Petitioners will not be prejudiced by the relief sought in this motion,” the request states.

“The compact at issue here took effect in August 2021, and Petitioners delayed for more than two years in filing their petition challenging the Compact under Florida law. Nor have Petitioners moved to expedite this proceeding,” it adds.

The request also confirms dialogue between Attorney General Ashley Moody and lawyers acting on behalf of West Flagler Associates, the petitioners in this case, with the latter agreeing to an extension of just seven days.

The 30-day extension requested would extend the deadline from November 1 to December 1, allowing for a detailed response to West Flagler’s claims that the tribal compact agreed with the Seminole Tribe is unconstitutional and should be revoked.

A separate legal action in the US Supreme Court, in which West Flagler Associates is seeking a review is currently ongoing, with the Department of the Interior recently sending in a response on that case.

Last week, the US Supreme Court stayed implementation of the DC Court of Appeals’ decision granting the Seminole Tribe the permission to relaunch its Hard Rock Digital sportsbook, pending a petition for review.

The case continues.