Source: St. Petersburg Times, January 6^th, 2011

There have been rumors that the Florida Governor, Rick Scott said Thursday of January 6th he is open to allowing Las Vegas-style casino resorts in Florida, opening the door for promoters to move swiftly ahead with legislation this year that would end the decades-old ban on casino-style gambling in the resort and time share meca. Promoters expect a hearing as early as mid January in the Florida Senate on a proposal that could bring “destination casinos” to Miami Beach, Tampa and as many as three other locations. The term refers to the high-end casinos being built around the globe that feature entertainment, retail malls and convention space in addition to blackjack tables, roulette wheels and slot machines. Gov. Scott said Thursday he is open to the proposal, even though while running for governor he rejected the expansion of gambling. “As you know, I’ve said in the campaign that I don’t want our revenue dollars to be tied to gaming,” Scott told the St. Petersburg Times /Miami Herald. “We’ve already approved gaming in the state, so we’ll look at it going forward.”