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Brunetti says Hialeah needs legislative support

Posted: Tuesday, February 02, 2010 5:33 PM

by Dave Joseph

Just 24 hours before the conclusion of a 40-day Quarter Horse meet and moments after receiving a standing ovation from a crowd of more than 200 as the keynote speaker before the Hialeah Chamber of Commerce, Hialeah Park president John Brunetti said Tuesday he will need legislative support this spring in order for the racetrack is to regain its Thoroughbred permit and continue its revitalization.
 
"There's no other way," said Brunetti, who has been fighting for his Thoroughbred permit since it was revoked in 2004.
 
Hialeah's inaugural Quarter Horse meet, which ends Wednesday, was to be the first step in a long road back for the historic track, which has not hosted a Thoroughbred meeting since 2001. Brunetti envisions the track returning to its glory with the help of a three-phase plan which includes live Thoroughbred meetings, a Las Vegas-style casino, and developing some of the property around the track.
 
Brunetti's plan faces obstacles. Gov. Charlie Crist's gambling pact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida has failed to gain legislative support, and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation has told Brunetti that his permit no longer exists since its revocation and a new one can not be issued because of current statutes.
 
Brunetti estimated Tuesday that he has spent more than $15-million on reopening the track.
 
"Every time we take a step there seems to be someone with a challenge or there's some kind of interpretation that's necessary," he said. "It's the system. It delays everything."

Brunetti said he suffered financial losses during the Quarter horse meet but will keep an open mind about the breed returning if a circuit could be developed with Gulfstream Park and Calder Race Course.
 
"I'd like to see a circuit develop," Brunetti said. "I'd like to see it grow because it's a job producer and helps the farms in Ocala. But I couldn't carry the whole load again for 40 days."

Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina lauded Brunetti's "passion for this track and community" while introducing the track owner and Thoroughbred breeder. Brunetti told business leaders he wants Hialeah to be the "center of the [Miami-Dade] county; the engine for growth, jobs, recreation, and spirit."

But he cautioned that everything will depend on how the process takes shape this spring.
 
"Everything is related—the permit, the casino, the development,” he said. “It changes every day. There are several things going on all at the same time. I just hope things beyond our control, like the governor being rejected by the legislators, [do not] curtail gaming [legislation] from happening.

"You can have all the dreams in the world, but if you don't get approval..."

Dave Joseph is a Florida-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent