With marketing resources, fan-friendly facilities and competitive opportunities for harness horsemen seemingly disappearing by the day in Florida, the Florida Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association joined the NoDecoupling.com campaign this week to further solidify horsemen’s unified voice in state-level legislative issues.

With decoupling a major issue putting racing in Florida in jeopardy, lawmakers and industry leaders are trying to work through the issues in time for a session beginning next month. Read the full story, by Dara Kam, for the News Service of Florida here.

Some say the battle for Florida’s gambling market could be fought at the county level. Nearly 10,000 licensed Florida racehorse owners, trainers and breeders who live, work and do business in each of Florida’s counties can’t take that chance.

A governmental hearing at 3 p.m. (Eastern time) on the issue of Decoupling in Florida can be viewed via a livestream on the www.thefloridachannel.com website.

In the wake of news today that the Florida House Regulatory Affairs Committee would be drafting a bill for “partial decoupling,” Florida’s racehorse owners, trainers and breeders vehemently restated their opposition to decoupling in any form.

United Florida Horsemen officials will be on hand in Tallahassee Tuesday (Feb. 9) to represent racehorse owners, trainers and breeders at two legislative committees scheduled to take up gambling-related bills that could devastate Florida’s horse racing industry by allowing “decoupling.”

Bloodhorse.com is reporting that the Florida Senate Regulated Industries Committee passed two pieces of legislation on Wednesday (Feb. 17), one authorizing a $3 billion gaming compact with the Seminole tribe and another that would allow most racetracks in the state to decide whether they want to continue live racing.

In her column today (Feb. 18), entitled “Scant Hope for Horsemen in Senate Gambling Package,” Sunshine State News Publisher Nancy Smith took note of significant and devastating changes in Florida’s gambling and horse racing industry landscape that would take place if bills approved by the Florida Senate Regulated Industries Committee yesterday go the distance.

The Florida Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association has opened up a GoFundMe.com account to raise money for legal fees to oppose the passage of ‘decoupling.’

The Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel is reporting that the Florida Senate Appropriations committee heard 29 bills in total on Tuesday (March 1), but not a bill which would allow “decoupling” in the state.