Florida AG to File Suit Against U.S. Department of Interior to Delay Federal Publication of Florida Indian Gaming Compact

December 20, 2007 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum today released the following statement regarding a lawsuit to be filed by the Attorney General’s Office on behalf of the State of Florida. The lawsuit seeks an injunction against the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior to prevent him from publishing and making effective the Florida compact on expanded gambling which is currently in litigation before the Florida Supreme Court.

“Today I have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior asking for an injunction to be granted preventing the Secretary from publishing and making effective our state’s compact to expand Indian gaming until the Florida Supreme Court rules on its validity.

“The issue at stake here is not how the Florida Supreme Court should rule on the matter before it, but rather the right our state has to resolve this matter before an action is forced by the Federal government. The uncertainty of the compact’s validity will create profound concern should the compact be considered valid Federal law before it has been clarified appropriately by the Florida Supreme Court.”

Source: Florida Attorney General