Longwood Poker Referendum (2009)
The Longwood Poker Referendum was on the November 3, 2009, ballot in Seminole County for voters in the city of Longwood, Fla. The question proposed the addition of poker to the Sanford Orlando Kennel Club in Longwood. City commissioners asked their attorney to draft a petition to county officials that would ask that such a referendum be put on the next ballot.[1][2]
Noteworthy events
The dog track would have added poker tables to the kennel club's facilities to increase revenue; however, Northland church across the street opposed any sort of gambling. Since the two organizations owned a majority of the land along Dog Track Road, where both were located, the city of Longwood needed both organizations to cooperate in order to turn the street into an attraction and gateway to Longwood.[2][3][4]
The church described itself as "a vibrant community of people connected through a desire to worship God and serve others. Our goal is to bring people to maturity in Christ by equipping them for a life of worship and service to others everywhere, every day."[5]
Path to the ballot
Longwood commissioners voted on the petition at their meeting on July 20, 2009. The referendum vote was countywide. While there was some dispute over whether the referendum should be held at the city level, City Attorney Don Roper said that he believed the county charter prohibited it.[6]
Election result
| Longwood Poker Referendum | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 No
|
991 | 63.94% | ||
| Yes | 559 | 36.06% | ||
| Total votes | 1550 | 100.00% | ||
| Voter turnout | 0% | |||
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Pechanga, "Longwood takes step toward poker referendum," accessed November 20, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Orlando Sentinel, "Betting, but with limits," June 24, 2009
- ↑ Orlando Sentinel, "Poker rooms," July 23, 2009
- ↑ Orlando Sentinel, "Can dog track get church to play along on poker?" June 15, 2015
- ↑ Northland Church, "A Church distributed," 2009
- ↑ Longwood City Commission, "Minutes," accessed November 20, 2015
- ↑ Seminole County Elections, "Election Results," November 5, 2009
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