Nov 16-20, 1978 Fla Calls Casino Vote A Good Sign - Miami Beach says no FREDERICK, OKLA.
'1-LEADER
D. 3,000
lei I e 1978
LAWRENCE, K.
Florida C1Is JOURNALW RLD
D. 15,000
Casino Vote NOV 2 0 1978
A Good Sign Miami Beach says no
NY Tim
The News o cast The recent defeat of casino amblin in Miami Beach has been
MIAMI — The defeat of casino gam- � g g
bling in Miami Beach, rather than being termed by some a major setback for the Florida economy, but others
a setback for the Florida economy, is say it may be a sign of the times and a sign that the area and the state are
being hailed as a signal of the state's coming of age.
coming of age. Florida, particularly the Miami area, long has been famous for its
In a long history studded with get- get - rich -quick schemes and chamber of commerce -type boosterism.
rich -quick schemes and flagrant. Anyone who objected to even the most outlandish efforts was considered
boosterism, Florida promoters and de-
an obstructionist.
velopers had carved up the state and With the Las Vegas philosophy being adopted by Atlantic City and
piece
packaged way was considered an obstruc- sale. Anyone who stood
in the he way the apparent benefits the New Jersey region is due to get, many as-
in
tlomst sumed that Miami Beach would grab p g rab at a of the action. Legalized
Legalized gambling in Miami Beach gambling was pushed by pro - gaming people as "an elixir" for the resort
was promoted as an elixir for the region's declining status as a tourist attraction.
resort's declining attractiveness as a But the people said no, and the majority who were pleased by the
tourist destination, but the anticasmo decision said it showed the region has reached the point it is no longer
forces, led by Gov. Reubin Askew, susceptible to every pitch that offers "something for nothing."
argued convincingly that Florida had Gov. Rubin Askew led the anti - gambling forces. He commented
matured to the point where it was no that Greater Miami has steadily been emerging as a center of finance
longer susceptible to every pitch that
offered "something for nothing." and trade while retaining "a quality of life that makes it a good place to
Greater Miami has come into its own live and visit.
as a center of finance and trade while ". . . The establishment of casino gambling would have been
retaining a quality of life that makes it counter - productive. It would have obscured to the rest of the world the
a good place to live and visit, the reality that Florida has diversified its economy."
governor said in a recent interview. The voters defeated the proposal by a 2 to 1 vote. Obviously they
"The influx of Cuban - Americans has didn't want to add to their problem by instituting a program that already
established Miami as a multilingual and is creating serious difficulties in crime activity for Atlantic City.
multicultural metropolis, and the future
of Miami in downtown Florida is ex-
tremely bright. That's why I felt so
strongly from an economic point of view
that the establishment of casino gam-
bling would have been coun-
terproductive. It would have obscured
— to the rest of the world — the reality
that Florida has diversified its econo-
my:, In a reversal of fortunes that have
taken place in the last decade, Miami
has moved aggressively to eclipse the
resort of Miami Beach across Biscayne
Bay as the center of action in South
Florida.
The size of the defeat of the casino
proposition on Nov. 7 — the measure
failed by a ratio of 2 1 /z to 1 —
apparently dashed hopes that the issue
could be slipped through in 1980, there-
by giving the resort another shot at
restoring itself in the way that worked
for another sickly dowager by the sea,
Atlantic City.
"Mani Beach should resign itself tq
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