After a fight about the issue during the 2025 legislative session, a House Republican on Tuesday filed a proposal that would eliminate a requirement that Tampa Bay Downs hold horse races to be able to offer other types of gambling.
Rep. Adam Anderson, R-Palm Harbor, filed the proposal (HB 881) for the 2026 session, which will start Jan. 13. Anderson also spearheaded the proposal last spring.
In a concept known as “decoupling,” the bill would erase a requirement that Florida's two thoroughbred tracks, Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs, hold live races to be able to operate cardrooms and, in the case of Gulfstream, slot machines.
The bill would allow the tracks to notify the Florida Gaming Control Commission on or after July 1, 2027, that they do not intend to continue running races. They could end the races three years after giving notice.
A version of the bill during the 2025 session drew fierce opposition from the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association and other critics who said it posed a threat to areas such as Marion County, which is a major player nationally in horse breeding.
Both tracks supported the proposal.
The measure would lead to thoroughbred tracks being treated similarly to former greyhound and harness racing tracks that do not hold races but have been able to continue other forms of gambling.
