Blaise Ingoglia

A Senate committee advanced Florida's controversial decoupling bill at a Tuesday hearing after amending the legislation so that the effective date for removing the live racing requirement for Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs to operate their respective casino and card room would be seven years instead of the five years that appears in the amended companion House bill. After absorbing more than two hours of testimony--almost all of it from Thoroughbred trainers, owners, breeders, sales company officials, veterinarians and other industry workers speaking out against the bill--Senator Jennifer Bradley...

Florida lawmakers passed a tax package May 5 that includes significant support for the state's Thoroughbred industry. With the support of Senate President Kathleen Passidomo; Senator Blaise Ingoglia, the Finance and Tax Chair; and Senator Jason Pizzo; House Speaker Paul Renner; Representative Stan McClain, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee; and Representative Lawrence McClure, chair of the State Affairs Committee; as well as Wilton Simpson, Florida's Commissioner of Agriculture, the package includes $27.5 million annually for two years to bolster purses and racing awards at Gulfstream Park and...

The Florida Senate's Finance and Tax Committee unanimously advanced a tax cut proposal to the full Senate Apr. 18 that includes credits to Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs for prior-year assessments those tracks must pay to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) Authority. But the News Service of Florida (NSF) reported Apr. 19 that the HISA tax breaks do not appear in an otherwise similar House version of the bill. The Senate's tax committee Chairman, Blaise Ingoglia, told NSF that the Thoroughbred industry in Florida is operating at...