Cornerstone is allegedly backed by the Seminole Tribe and the Sands group claims they hired workers to interfere with petition gatherers. Its designed to burn that turf for everyone.. endstream
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They will do something like piss someone off at a DMV, or a courthouse, or a parking lot, then everyone gets kicked out, Herrington said. This site no longer supports your current browser. Dont sign gambling petitions declares a 30-second television and digital media ad released this week by the Standing Up For Floridacommittee. This mutually-beneficial agreement will grow our economy, expand tourism and recreation and provide billions in new revenue to benefit Floridians. Las Vegas Sands, who supported the lawsuit, launched a political committee entitled Florida Voters in Charge and hired petition-gathering firms to get 900,000 petitions before the Feb. 1, 2022 deadline. The Seminoles strike back against petition drives by Las Vegas Sands, fantasy sports outfits. Sands has created a political committee called Florida Voters in Charge and hired two petition-gathering firms to collect nearly 900,000 signatures by the Feb. 1, 2022, deadline The commercial, Watch Out Florida, began airing this past weekend in all Florida markets. Taking center stage headed into 2022 is the Tribes fight with gaming giants FanDuel, DraftKings and Las Vegas Sands, which have poured nearly $60 million into support of two separate gaming measures they want to get on the 2022 ballot. If they make the deadline, their constitutional amendment would be placed on the general election ballot in November 2022. It would authorize sports betting at professional sports venues and parimutuel facilities as well as on betting apps anywhere in Florida. The roots of that empire are found in Hollywood, Fla., at a bingo hall opened by the tribe about 40 years ago. We thank Governor DeSantis, President Simpson, Speaker Sprowls and the Florida Legislature for their leadership and hard work., -Marcellus Osceola Jr., Chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. And in exchange of the exclusivity, the Tribe agreed to share some of its gaming revenues with the state. Is the White House next on his list? STAFF LOGIN. Telephone: 954-759-8972 . The new Seminole Compact is a historic deal between the people of the State Florida and the sovereign nation of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. If approved, the measures would undercut the Seminole Tribes monopoly on casino games, which Gov. But a federal judge last week tossed out the pact, though the Tribe is appealing the decision. PAID FOR BY THE SEMINOLE TRIBE OF FLORIDA, Chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Leon County Circuit Judge Angela Dempsey denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against the Seminole Tribe of Florida over whether or not they are working to block petition gatherers for a constitutional amendment that would permit card rooms to operate in casinos. The tribe has given the committee $10 million, and it has The firm has been paid $6 million from a political committee financed by the tribe, called Standing Up for Florida. The whole game is to try to get as close to Dec. 30 as possible, while they continue to do their obstructionist and sabotage activities.. The answer would be no the Tribe has always been receptive to navigate the process, Allen said in response to Brandes. Leon County Circuit Judge Angela Dempsey denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against the Seminole Tribe of Florida over whether or not Over the last 72 hours there has really been a big uptick, they are starting to use canvassers to co-opt other canvassers, Smith said.
Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature reauthorized in a gambling agreement signed in May. Leaders throughout Florida had this to say about the Seminole Compacts approval by federal authorities: Provides Florida $6 billion in revenue over the next decade, guaranteeing $2.5 billion in the next five years. Every day that goes by, whats happening is people are being poached. Ive seen people about to sign, then they end up walking away, sometimes scared.. The gambling agreement with the state, known as a compact, allowed the tribe to operate a monopoly on sports betting in the state, in addition to allowing it to offer craps and roulette at its existing casinos. The Seminole Tribes attempt to poach petition gathering firms was first reported by Politico and is outlined in a complaint filed by Sands and its petition-gathering firms. Those education services allegedly also involve the tribes attempt to hire people to gather signatures on a separate petition that the complaint claims supports the Seminoles compact and new revenue for Florida. Announced by Florida Governor Ron Why its not suspicious for ballot counting to take days, 51 Veterans Day tributes and events in the Tampa Bay area, Florida midterm elections: Republicans historic night as it happened. The Sands, which owns several Las Vegas casinos and has long attempted to get a foothold into Florida, has invested more than $14 million to date on the two constitutional amendments. In 2009, he pleaded guiltyto registering a fake California address to fulfill that states requirement that signature gatherers be eligible to vote in the state. [gravityform id=7 title=false description=false ajax=true], Seminole Tribe pushes dont sign petition message for gambling initiatives, Facebook activates election alerts, anti-misinformation systems ahead of CD 20 special, St. Petersburg approves $2 million in redevelopment funds for Jordan Park project, Las Vegas Sands Corp. Poarch Creek Band of Indians, Oddsmaker touts Ron DeSantis, fades Donald Trump in 2024 forecast, New LeAnna Cumber ad takes aim at Daniel Davis, Donna Deegan, SeaWorlds attendance suffers from Hurricane Ian but CEO says company still in good financial shape, First-time Republican candidate Alexis Calatayud secures Senate seat serving southeast Miami-Dade, Marleine Bastien wins District 2 seat on Miami-Dade Commission, Anna Paulina Luna defeats Eric Lynn, flipping CD 13 red. The compact says you cant have casinos within 100 miles of the Seminole casinos or you lose the revenue share. People are being paid off to leave the state, attorney James McKee told Leon County Circuit Court Judge Angela Dempsey at a 30-minute hearing on Wednesday. Theres nothing in the amendment inconsistent with the compact, McKee told the Times/Herald. Thats the thing, when we come and ask someone to sign a petition saying it will increase funding for local schools, we hear them tell our gatherers that they have already signed, said Herrington, the Advanced Micro Targeting state director. Smiths company is working to get signatures for a proposed 2022 ballot proposal backed by Las Vegas Sands that would allow new casinos at existing card rooms if they are located more than 130 miles away from Seminole casinos, which could land new casinos in North Florida where there are no Tribe-owned facilities. If we have new casinos along the State line we will other States coming to the casino area. TALLAHASSEE The fate of a casino expansion petition drive rests in the hands of a Tallahassee judge who on Wednesday agreed to conduct an emergency hearing to consider evidence that the Seminole Tribe of Florida may be attempting to sabotage a constitutional amendment asking voters to approve casinos outside of the tribes control. They will harass us for a spot. But since Sands launched the petition drive in June, it has faced an aggressive petition-blocking effort, allegedly financed by the Seminole Tribe, that includes paying petition-gathering firms to not work in Florida, hiring workers to intimidate and interfere with other petition gatherers, and running an informal signature-gathering operation a She set another hearing for Tuesday to hear the request from Sands for an injunction against the groups petition activity. Ron DeSantis. Allen told Brandes that under the Tribes current board, it would not oppose ballot measures that could lead to new casinos more than 100 miles from its facilities. Both initiatives aim to hone in on the action now largely reserved for the Seminole Tribe. glen.stankee@akerman.com . As we march to the finish line, we will continue to pursue our legal options to expose and seek damages from those who have intentionally and aggressively attempted to thwart the constitutional signature gathering process, said Florida Voters in Change. Have been following them, tracking them to their places of residence, which are hotels, standing outside. Were only 22 days away at this point. The Seminole Tribe have continued to face legal challenges regarding the potential of expanded gambling in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media. They seek some of the expanded gambling action, including sports betting and casino operations, that were granted the Seminole Tribe through the new 2021 Florida Gaming Compact. hb```$b,
8"g00l2e*ok! The compact allowed the Seminoles to exclusively offer popular casino-style games, such as blackjack, at its six gaming facilities in Florida. They are super aggressive. The agreements limit the type of work petitioning gathering firms can do in Florida through 2024. Letsgetstarted. Keeps Florida family-friendly by limiting casinos. Out-of-state gambling companies are spending tens of millions to turn our state into another Las Vegas. Please reach out to him directly with any questions you may have, Bitner said. The petition aimed to legalize casino gaming in the northern part of the state. He and his wife Connie have three grown children. High drama surrounding legal sports betting and an expansion of gambling in Florida continues to swirl after Politico broke a story Monday claiming that the Seminole Tribe is going 416 0 obj
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FanDuel and DraftKings have poured more than $33 million into another ballot measure that competes more aggressively with the tribe. Gaming has made the Seminole Tribe immensely wealthy, with its worldwide Hard Hock empire generating more than $34 billion a year in revenue. 1379, dated June 28, 1911, and such other lands as may The ad does not cite any companies specifically. I have seen blockers before, but not like this, said Faten Alkhulifi, regional director at Advanced Micro Targeting. A lawsuit was filed by Las Vegas Sands, which is backing a measure that would allow card rooms across the state to be converted to Las Vegas-style casinos under the condition that they are located 130 miles from the tribes Hard Rock and other casinos. The compact gave the Tribe, among other things, exclusive sports gaming rights. Modernizes the gaming industry by creating a legal construct for sports betting in Florida and provides a structure for local pari-mutuels to participate. Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182 TALLAHASSEE The Seminole Tribe of Florida is paying petition gathering firms to not work in Florida during the 2022 midterms as part of an effort to block rival proposed All rights reserved. I will be signing the petition. If the actions they are doing violate his word, what is his word worth? Brandes said. Seminole Casinos need competition. He keeps competition out of Florida and they line his pockets! Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301 . Cornerstone can retain and have available CONTRACTOR to help further CORNERSTONEs business interests in Florida, including, but not limited to, consulting on any potential campaigns or ballot measures for the November 6, 2024 election that relate, in any way to gaming reform, according to a contract reviewed by POLITICO thats dated July 2. McKee urged Dempsey to order the tribes clients to halt the petition blocking immediately. It makes these canvassers fear for their safety. The state approved the Compact in the spring and the federal government ratified it in August. They want a monopoly on the entire state.. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Arek Sarkissian contributed to this report. The ad is puzzling because in 2018 an amendment passed that said let voters decide the future of gaming in Florida. With $10 million from the Seminole Tribe, the committee is warning Floridians against out-of-state gambling companies trying to get them to sign petitions to expand sports %PDF-1.5
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Thomasville, PublishedNovember 2, 2021 at 11:44 AM EDT, FEATURED PODCAST - Not So Black and White: A community's divided history, See stories by The News Service of Florida, Here are 10 takeaways from Tuesdays elections in Florida, Russia says it's withdrawing from the key city of Kherson, but Ukraine is skeptical, The Florida GOP piles up wins in state House races, leading to a supermajority, Every evacuation order called ahead of Tropical Storm Nicole, so far, The Seminole Tribe quietly kicks off sports betting in Florida, Seminole Tribe Seeks To Thwart Lawsuit Over Florida Gambling Deal, Gambling Compact With Seminole Tribe Would Bring Florida $2.5 Billion Over 5 Years. Watch out Florida, the ad begins. Its part of a Tribes blocking campaign thats designed to keep rival gaming companies from getting provisions on the 2022 midterm ballot. Please use a modern and up-to-date browser version for the best experience. The alleged incident stems from Cornerstone Solutions, a South Florida firm, paying petition gatherers to not work in Florida, which would put the constitutional amendment process past its deadline. Any incidents of inappropriate behavior are not tolerated and result in immediate termination.. Florida Voters in Charge released an official statement saying they are going to continue to seek legal remedies to the damages done to their petition gathering process. Mr. Along with paying off petition gatherers, the Seminole-funded political committee so far put $8 million behind a campaign-style TV ad blasting the ballot measures. Political editor Emily L. Mahoney will send you a rundown on local, state and national politics coverage every Thursday. Email: [emailprotected] A political committee associated with that effort has raised $28 million, nearly all of which has come from Las Vegas Sands. hUmk0+dY/6B-uPKLbHbl;K%/cMIJL0%KrX4JjX_M+W`K 9eDZozfuk-K5u?4n The commercial, Watch Out Florida, began airing this past weekend in all Florida markets. A CEO of a firm gathering signatures for the 2022 fight against the Seminoles, Dunton Consulting, told POLITICO that she has had 32 signature gatherers take buyouts from the Seminole-linked firms in the past two days alone, which is more than half her team. I again want to thank Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr., Senate President Wilton Simpson and House Speaker Chris Sprowls for their part in getting this done for our great state., I thank Governor DeSantis, House Speaker Chris Sprowls and the Seminole Tribe for their hard work and leadership to provide new opportunities for Floridas legacy pari-mutuel industry, ensure oversight and accountability in gaming and secure billions of dollars in new revenue to invest in Floridas future., The approval of the Florida gaming compact by the Department of the Interior clears the way for a mutually beneficial arrangement to Florida taxpayers and the Seminole Tribe. DeSantis wins reelection. She said the Tribe has also enticed people on her team with $250 bonuses if they can recruit petition gatherers who work for the Seminoles rival gaming petitions and get them to come to the Tribes side. St. Petersburg, Florida 33704, Copyright by Extensive-Enterprises 2022. Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Renzo Downey, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, Anne Geggis, Kelly Hayes, Joe Henderson, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Gray Rohrer, Jesse Scheckner, Christine Sexton, Andrew Wilson, Wes Wolfe, and Mike Wright. The Seminole Tribes attempt to poach petition-gathering firms was first reported by Politico, and is outlined in a complaint filed by Sands and its petition-gathering firms. A second Tribe-opposed ballot measure supported by FanDuel and DraftKings would allow sports betting throughout the state, not just through the Seminoles. The effort, known as a plebiscite, would not change Florida law and is not associated with any official campaign but attempts to demonstrate support while also collecting information from voters, such as a signers name and address. Bjorn Bakstad. Both organizations are racing time to do so. The Seminole Tribes attempt to poach petition-gathering firms was first reported by Politico, and is outlined in a complaint filed by Sands and its petition-gathering firms. That is what no competition does. How does one go about signing one the gambling petitions? When asked about the blocking effort, including buying out petition gathering firms, a spokesperson for the Seminoles said the Tribe has assembled the best team of political consultants in the country.. Bitner, the Seminole spokesperson, reiterated that they do not teach or condone aggressive tactics. The CEO, Rasheida Smith, said the structure usually includes a sign-up bonus, then additional money 30 days later for a total haul that can be up to $7,000. Petitioners have until Dec. 30 to finish gathering the required 891,589 signatures in order to give election officials in each county enough time to validate the authenticity of the signatures so that the ballot measures could be placed on the ballot by the Feb. 1 deadline. For what purpose? They are the worst casinos I have ever seen. Theres a big difference between agreeing to compact language focused on Florida-based developments and protecting the Tribes business interests from out-of-state gaming entities that seek to divert money from the Tribe and Floridians and ship it out of state, he said. Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL. Photo 2015 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival by Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, FL. Dont sign the petitions. Say No to these outsiders who are trying to control us and risk our future, the narrator urges. The Seminole Tribe poured $10 million into Standing Up for Florida in the last couple of days of September. Say no to the gambling petitions.. Christina Johnson, spokesperson for Florida Education Champions, which is coordinating the FanDuel and DraftKings petition effort, said that their petition gatherers have experienced similar intimidation tactics as outlined in Sands lawsuit. Twitter:@PeterSchorschFL They get to build all they want with the help of their puppet DeSantis! If the constitutional amendment were to be placed on the ballots in Florida, voters could vote to expand casino development and the tribe would lose their near monopoly. Their sports betting app, Hard Rock Sportsbook mobile app, was shut down due to the Seminole Gaming Compact being voided. Zachery Herrington, Advanced Micro Targetings state director, says hes worried the Tribes efforts include hiring unprofessional or even dangerous staffers. In addition, Chairman Osceola of the Seminole Tribe of Florida expressed his appreciation of the hard work between the Seminole Tribe and the people of Florida to secure this mutually-beneficial agreement. It contributed more than $24 million toward a successful 2018 ballot initiative requiring that voters approve any changes made to gambling laws by the Legislature. Follow Grant onTwitterand direct message tips. The lawsuit was brought by Las Vegas Sands, which is backing a constitutional amendment that would allow card rooms across the state to be converted to Las Vegas-style casinos under the condition that they are located 130 miles from the tribes Hard Rock and other casinos. Florida Education Champions will be determining next steps to demand this egregious, criminal, and offensive behavior from vendors immediately cease in order to protect Florida voters, our petition gatherers, and every citizens rights guaranteed under the Constitution for fair and open elections, she said. A new political committee backed by the Seminole Tribe of Florida has launched a statewide counter attack on other gaming groups that have been trying to get gambling expansion constitutional amendments on next years General Election ballot. The massive effort, one of the largest ever seen in Florida politics, includes paying petition gathering firms more money than they would likely normally see in an election cycle in return for them signing exclusivity agreements, some of which POLITICO has obtained. If passed, the measures would give those companies significant footholds into the Florida gaming market. The defendants responded Tuesday with a motion to dismiss the complaint, arguing that the plaintiffs are attempting to prevent them from lawful hiring practices that support First Amendment free speech and create a non-existent and illegal no-poaching agreement in restraint of employees free right to choose their own employer.. For the sole purpose of trying to not have the requisite number of signatures obtained between now and Dec. 30. A political committee backed largely by those companies has paid more than $10 million to gather signatures to Advanced Micro Targeting, a firm that has seen the Tribe blocking efforts. The final approval of this historic gaming compact is a big deal for the State of Florida. Now, that is what is being proposed an amendment to let the voters decide on gaming. Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. Phone: (727) 642-3162 Nonetheless, it signals a rift between the Seminole Tribe and Las Vegas Sands, which previously had been seen as political allies in Florida. Want more of our free, weekly newslettersinyourinbox? the Seminole Tribe of Florida, or by the United States in trust for the Seminole Indians in Florida, lands held under Executive Order No. 0
It described how during Thanksgiving week, two people wearing vests identical to those worn by Grassfires circulators appeared at one of Grassfires training locations in Miami and began taking pictures of Grassfire circulators. When they were confronted, they fled in their vehicle, the motion said. The company is also alleged to have hired Jacoby, an Orlando-based political consultant who has faced voter fraud charges relating to his election activity in the past and was instrumental in a petition-blocking effort that attempted to stall a 2019 petition effort to deregulate the monopoly utility industry in Florida. The tribe has given the committee $10 million, and it has financed $4 million in campaign-style media ads as well as $1 million in what it calls field education services.. We continue to do the right thing by Floridians while out-of-state companies are wasting Floridas time and tax dollars with frivolous emergencies of their own making, said Asnani. The Seminole Tribe poured $10 million into Standing Up for Florida in the last couple of days of September. We already have on line game shops with no control in our countys so what is the difference, The problem is we do not have a separation between church and state, just as long as the revenue comes in who cares what casino it come from. The effort started shortly after lawmakers used a May special legislative session to approve a $2.5 billion gaming deal, known as a compact, negotiated between the Seminoles and Gov. The Seminoles are comprised of various culturally related Creek KATHERINE E. GIDDINGS (949396) KRISTEN M. FIORE (25766) stock.adobe.com. Tribal leaders have said the exclusivity clause guarantees economic solvency for decades to come. He is currently chairing two political committees associated with the Tribes blocking efforts including one called Standing Up For Florida that has paid his firm $5.5 million since founders set it up in September. The Tribe has also used its immense wealth to change the state constitution. The Seminole Tribe of Florida is paying petition gathering firms to not work in Florida during the 2022 midterms as part of an effort to block rival proposed gaming The judge denied the request for a temporary injunction but set a hearing date for Friday to hear the motion to dismiss the case, brought by clients hired by the tribe, including Mark Jacoby, Kara Owens and Cornerstone Solutions Florida. They want to change our constitution to allow out-of-control gambling with no guarantees for us and big profits for them.. The State of Florida Department of Revenue and Marshall Stranburg, in his official capacity as the Interim During a May special session called for lawmakers to approve an update to the Seminole compact, Brandes used a meeting of the Senate Committee on Appropriations to ask Seminole Gaming Chief Executive Jim Allen if, in the future, the Tribe would oppose ballot measures that could lead to new casinos in areas of the state that do not violate the compact, which banned new casinos within 100 miles of Tribe-owned facilities. When reached on his cell phone, Asnani declined to comment about his work. You tell us why the Seminole control the gambling in this state, they should not, there should be others allowed to do so. The complaint alleges that the tortious interference with a contractual relationship is being run through Cornerstone Solutions, a West Palm Beach-based firm founded by Rick Asnani. Billions more in economic impact for our state and businesses. Say no to these outsiders who are trying to control us and risk our future, the ads narrator says. Democrats beat Trump-backed GOP candidates in liberal states, Florida CFO, attorney general and agriculture commissioner will all be Republicans, Florida legislative races a disaster for Democrats, GOP wins 15 of 21 local seats, GOP picks up Florida congressional seats, dominates Tampa Bay, What Florida could expect from Ron DeSantis second term, Pinellas voters favor conservative candidates for commission, school board, that attempted to stall a 2019 petition effort to, DeSantis new climate change plan: $270 million for first wave of statewide projects. that 4,000 students were improperly registered as part of the drive. Team members involved in the education campaign are trained not to engage in any opposition efforts and to only collect signatures, he said. 1. I have never seen it this bad. 422 0 obj
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Today is a great day for the people of Florida, who will benefit not only from a $2.5 billion revenue sharing guarantee over five years, but also from statewide sports betting and new casino games that will roll out this fall and mean more jobs for Floridians and more money invested in this state. The Seminoles attempt to poach petition gathering firms is being run through Cornerstone Solutions, a West Palm Beach-based firm founded by Rick Asnani, who has long done contract consulting work for the firm. It is currently engaged to oppose multiple outside interests that have initially invested a combined $60 million in PAC money to hire more than a thousand people to fight the Tribes success, said Seminole spokesperson Gary Bitner. Email him at [emailprotected]. In an amended lawsuit filed with the court on Tuesday, Sands was joined by Grassfire Inc., a Clearwater company that runs signature-gathering efforts. Jacoby is a vendor to a vendor. With $10 million from the Seminole Tribe, the committee is warning Floridians against out-of-state gambling companies trying to get them to sign petitions to expand sports betting and casino gambling in Florida. Brandes told POLITICO in an interview Wednesday that he thinks some of the actions taken by the Tribe since to try and block the current proposed ballot measure are at odds with Allens comments. Bitner, however, said the situations are not the same when asked if the Tribes top executive lied about whether they would block future ballot measures that could expand gaming. 428 0 obj
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Grant Holcombis a reporter at theFlorida Capital Starand the Star News Network. The complaint includes several examples and identifies a person named Ginger Donat who approached a petition gatherer in Orlando and offered to pay him $2,000 to agree to work on behalf of the Seminole Tribe and included several text messages she sent to other petition gatherers. Florida Education Champions, backed by DraftKings and FanDuel, the big, national daily fantasy sports platforms, is pushing a proposed constitutional amendment to expand sports betting in Florida beyond what the Seminoles can run. Seminole Tribe of Florida, petitioner on review, was plaintiff-appellant below. I certainly cant speak to elected officials of the Tribe 10, 20 years form now, but certainly today that is not the case.. *a"QQhp,p4c5T*4q)K(30@N37 )]Fe -Q
Scott Powers is an Orlando-based political journalist with 30+ years experience, mostly at newspapers such as the Orlando Sentinel and the Columbus Dispatch. The new Seminole Compact is a historic deal between the people of the State Florida and the sovereign nation of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The Tribe earned its dominance in Florida through the gaming deal with the state known as a compact. His career earned numerous journalism awards for stories ranging from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster to presidential elections to misplaced nuclear waste. The plebiscite effort has been led, in part, by Mark Jacoby, an Orlando-based political consultant who has faced voter fraud charges tied to his past work on ballot measures. The ad does not mention either the proposals specifically or the companys bankrolling them, but makes clear its position on the issue. Their political committee, Florida Education Champions, has reportedly validated only about 160,000 signatures of the nearly 900,000 needed. PER CURIAM. In Jacksonville, other Grassfire petition gatherers who were approached by two individuals who admitted to working for Think Before You Ink. After nailing down a deal that gave it control over sports betting in the state, the Seminole Tribe is trying to clinch its status as Floridas 800