Hollywood
Loses Bid for Slot Revenue
As reported by South Florida
Sun Sentinel: "It's back to the drawing
board for Hollywood in its long-running battle
to win a slice of expected slots revenue.
"City
officials and lobbyists came very close last
week to snaring a chunk of approximately $6
million from the pari-mutuels that will have
Las Vegas-style slot machines within six months.
But despite intense negotiations and a tentative
agreement, the deal fell through.
"Some
of the complications included other cities,
such as Fort Lauderdale and Aventura, joining
in on the request for money. In addition, officials
could not get all four pari-mutuel companies
to agree to the terms.
"Hollywood
officials contend the pari-mutuels should give
the city some of their profits, even though
none of the four sites are actually in Hollywood.
"…The
city has estimated the cost at approximately
$5 million per year. Any slots windfall would
pay for things such as traffic calming devices
on side streets, street closures and the hiring
of new police officers and firefighters, Mayor
Mara Giulianti said…"
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