Jeffrey Soffer will not be able to move his casino license to his Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel, at least for this year.
Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson told CBS Miami that Soffer will not be able to transfer his casino license from his Big Easy Casino in Hallandale Beach. He said that former President Trump would also not be able to transfer a license to his Trump National Doral Miami property.
The Florida Legislature is voting on a new gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida May 17. But portability, which would allow for the transfer of gambling licenses, will not be on the agenda this year for Soffer or Trump, Simpson said, though he said he is not opposed to all portability.
“I’m against portability that would run over local communities to make it happen,” he told CBS Miami.
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Jeffrey Soffer wants to expand the Fontainebleau Miami Beach
Soffer has been trying to operate a casino at the Fontainebleau for years, despite local legislation that bans gambling in Miami Beach. More recently, Soffer hosted fundraisers on his megayacht and contributed more than $1 million in campaign contributions, the Miami Herald previously reported.
Amendment 3, which overwhelmingly passed in Florida in 2018, gives voters the right to decide on the expansion of gambling in Florida.
[CBS Miami] — Katherine Kallergis