TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (The News Service of Florida) - Greyhound breeders and owners plan to file a lawsuit that challenges a proposed constitutional amendment that would outlaw dog racing in Florida.
Earlier this week, the Constitution Revision Commission voted to put the proposed ban on the November ballot.
Supporters of the ban say the practice is inhumane and the only reason tracks still run dogs is because they are required to by law in order to have other gambling, like poker rooms.
However, the Florida Greyhound Association says the CRC's approval of the ballot amendment was passed using false information about the impact of ending the races.
"This amendment is faulty on its face. We will take legal action on it. It's easy to lie to the Constitution Revision Commission," said Jack Cory of the Florida Greyhound Association. "You cannot lie to a court of law, and we are comfortable that this will eventually be overturned."
Cory says ending greyhound racing would impact thousands of Florida jobs and lead to an uncertain future for the dogs that currently race. 12 of the 18 greyhound tracks that still exist nationwide are located in Florida.
If the greyhound-racing proposal is approved, the measure would phase out racing by 2020.
