'Kills it': Ron DeSantis push could inadvertently destroy Trump plan for his Florida club

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis could wind up wrecking Donald Trump's dream of opening a casino in Florida.

The Republican governor has proposed a sweeping overhaul of ballot initiatives that opponents say would make it nearly impossible to force amendments through citizen-led referendums to the state constitution.

That would affect any expansion of gambling in the state, which requires voter approval — and it could kill plans of the president' to add a casino to his Doral property, reported CNN.

“It would all but destroy the citizens initiative process in the state of Florida, period – end of story,” said Ben Pollara, a Democratic consultant who has overseen successful referendums in the state to raise the minimum wage and to legalize medical marijuana. “This isn’t like in the past where they’re making it more difficult or more expensive. This just kills it. It’s not something you can spend your way out of.”

DeSantis has called the state legislature into a special session starting Monday and has asked them to move quickly on his proposal, which would require individual votes to request petition forms to express support for ballot measures and would legally prohibit supporters from gathering signatures.

“Our constitution should not be for sale to the highest bidder, so the reform is needed,” DeSantis said earlier this month.

However, one of the biggest beneficiaries of the change would be Seminole Tribe of Florida, which operates casinos throughout the state and has backed DeSantis' gubernatorial and presidential campaigns.

“This proposal would seal off competition for sports betting and casino gambling in Florida,” said Daniel Wallach, the founder of a law firm focused on gambling. “It’s unprecedented for a state as populous as Florida.”

A 2018 constitutional amendment approved by voters, which was primarily funded by the tribe and the Walt Disney Co., explicitly requires Florida voters to pass a ballot initiative to change the constitution before gambling can be expanded, and changing the way that signatures are collected would make that virtually impossible, especially since state law also requires 60-percent approval for an amendment to happen.

“Today, it’s already tough,” said John Lockwood, a Florida attorney who has worked extensively on the state’s gambling policies. “You pass this legislation, and you would completely close the door to any new non-tribal competition in Florida.”

Trump would “run head-on into this legislation" if he tried to build a casino at Doral, Lockwood said. But Wallach said the president could potentially partner with the tribe or rely on his sway with Florida voters to get around the obstacles DeSantis is setting up.

“He’s one of the few individuals perhaps capable of whipping up that kind of signature support,” Wallach said.