Commission may put poker back on table

Escambia County Commissioner Kevin White next week will ask his fellow commissioners to reconsider a vote on whether to allow poker cardrooms at Pensacola Greyhound Track.


The board is expected to vote Thursday on whether to set a Feb. 19 public hearing to reconsider the controversial vote.

If White supports it this time — which he wouldn't confirm — it could easily pass.

White was one of the three votes against it on Dec. 11, along with commissioners Marie Young and Wilson Robertson. Commissioners Gene Valentino and Grover C. Robinson IV supported it.

White said his reason for bringing it back up isn't because of a push from constituents.

"I guess when you look at the economy and the way it is, if my vote is going to cost the 60 to 75 jobs at the track, then I want to rethink that because that's the last thing we need is more people out of work," White said.

"The additional jobs (poker could create) are a bonus."

Robertson won't change his vote.

"I am assuming Kevin will (change his vote) or he wouldn't be bringing it back," Robertson said. "I think it's going to cost a lot of families their paychecks. I am not trying to legislate morality, I just don't think our community needs that. There are other jobs we could go after."

Young said she's "not ready to say yet. I have not given it any other consideration since then," she said.

The Florida Legislature created the law several years ago that allows cardroom gaming at parimutuel gaming facilities — greyhound tracks, thoroughbred tracks, jai-alai frontons and harness tracks — but it must be approved by individual counties for it to take effect.