Palm Beach County State Senator Maria Sachs' "de-coupling" amendment came with the high hopes of Florida animal lovers. They thought that by ending the requirement that greyhound tracks with poker rooms and slot machines also race dogs would be the end of the sport in Florida.
But during a 90-minute Senate Gaming committee hearing on Tuesday, it became clear that the legislation was full of opportunities for track owners to move unused racing permits elsewhere to open new casinos.That's when Sachs withdrew her de-coupling amendment, and promised to come back with a new one before the legislative session ends.
"I want to make sure that when this becomes law, that they're clean, that the amendments have absolutely no part of an expansion of gambling", said Sachs.
The day wasn't a complete loss for animal lovers. Sachs' de-coupling measure was an amendment to another greyhound bill that requires reporting of dog injuries during races. That bill passed.