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Decoupling: A Multibillion-Dollar Threat to Florida’s World-Renowned Thoroughbred Legacy
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Desvinculación: Una Amenaza Multimillonaria para el Legado de los Pura Sangre en la Florida
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Equine Speed is a Major Florida Export (FTBOA President George Isaacs)
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CALLS TO ACTION
April 1, 2025 – FTBOA Letter Opposing Decoupling Bills
TRI to Sponsor Tallahassee Bus Trip to Fight Decoupling Bill
Sign the HBPA petition – (House bill – all horsemen)
Sign up for Wire to Wire to receive updates on the issue
Sign the National HBPA + FTBOA petition – (Senate bill – Florida citizens triggers letter to Senator in your district)
FTBOA MESSAGING – NO DECOUPLING
- April 15, 2025 – CEO Lonny Powell Response to committee’s activities
- April 3, 2025 – Powell Vows FL Horsemen to Fight On Against Decoupling (BloodHorse)
- April 1, 2025 – Statement on Florida SB408 (Lonny Powell, CEO, Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association)
- April 1, 2025 – FTBOA Letter Opposing Decoupling Bills (FTBOA Board of Directors)
- March 27, 2025 – FTBOA CEO Lonny Powell provides a Legislative Update on decoupling legislation (HB105/SB408) under consideration in the Florida House and Senate – FTBOA (Lonny Powell)
- March 18, 2025 – Statement by Lonny Powell CEO of the FTBOA in response to the Florida House Commerce Committee’s approval of the PCS for HB 105 – FTBOA (Lonny Powell)
- March 3, 2025 – “As Florida embraces a rural renaissance, it’s critical that we ensure the continued success of our thoroughbred breeding, training, and racing industry.” Read CEO Lonny Powell’s piece for the Orlando Sentinel by clicking here.
- Feb. 28, 2025 – The Florida Horse Podcast E53 – Decoupling – FTBOA (Lonny Powell & Tammy A. Gantt)
- Feb. 15, 2025 – FTBOA CEO Lonny Powell Comments on Decoupling – FTBOA (Lonny Powell)
- Feb. 12, 2025 – FTBOA has repeatedly defeated misguided attempts to decouple Thoroughbred horse racing thanks to the collective efforts of advocates, industry leaders, and state officials. Together, we can defend horse racing again. Follow FTBOA.com for updates. #FTBOA #
FloridaThoroughbreds # NoToDecoupling
View handout / Click to download - Feb. 7, 2025 – Decoupling: A Multibillion-Dollar Threat to Florida’s World-Renowned Thoroughbred Legacy – (Florida Equine Communications)
- Feb 5, 2025 – Decoupling Bill Passes Florida House Subcommittee – Florida Equine Communications (FEC Brock Sheridan)
- Feb. 4, 2025 – Equine Speed is a Major Florida Export (FTBOA President George Isaacs)
- Feb. 3, 2025 – The Florida Horse Podcast – Saffie Joseph Jr. & Jena Antonucci speak out against decoupling and its impact on racing’s future in Florida. – Florida Equine Communications (FTBOA Tammy Gantt)
- Jan. 27, 2025 – A Letter from FTBOA President George Isaacs – Letter to Florida Breeders – No Decoupling
- Dec. 2024 – CEO Corner – A Look at 2024 from CEO Lonny Powell – Decoupling issue 2011, 2016 now 2025?
INDUSTRY LETTERS OF SUPPORT – NO DECOUPLING
- Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen (FTH) Formerly named FHBPA, FTHA
- Illinois Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protection Association (ILHBPA)
- Kentucky Thoroughbred Association (KTA)
- National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA)
- New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB)
- Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (THA)
- National Horsemen Groups React to Gulfstream Decoupling
- Ocala/Metro Chamber of Commerce (CEP) – View letter / Click to download
- Open Letter to the Industry on Florida Decoupling Legislation – OBS Sales (OBS)
- Horse Farms Forever Letter of Support for Marion Co. Thoroughbred Industry – Horse Farms Forever (HFF)
- Statement from the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association Regarding Decoupling in Florida – Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA)
- Ocala Mayor Marciano Letter in Opposition of Decoupling – Mayor of Ocala, Ben Marciano
- Stand With Florida Agriculture Oppose HB104 / SB405 – Florida Feed Association Inc. – View letter / Click to download
- Tampa Bay HBPA Doubling Down on Its Continued Opposition (BY JAN MEEHAN, TAMPA BAY HBPA)
PRESS COVERAGE – April 2025
- April 17, 2025 – DeSantis Reaffirms Support for Florida Thoroughbred Industry at OBS, FTBOA CEO Powell Expresses Gratitude
- April 14, 2025 – Why Florida must protect its thoroughbred horse racing industry | Column Jessica Steinbrenner | A bill in the state Legislature could jeopardize horse racing in Florida. – Tampa Bay Times (Opinion)
- April 3, 2025 – View From The Eighth Pole: An Obligation To Horse Racing – Paulick Report (Ray Paulick)
- April 3, 2025 – Powell Vows FL Horsemen to Fight On Against Decoupling (BloodHorse)
- April 2, 2025 – Governor’s Press Conference, “I have not endorsed that [decoupling] bill, if you put Florida first, then you are looking to make sure Floridians can be successful, and horse breeding is a part of our state’s culture and part of the culture here, I am concerned about what I hear about some of these proposals that would man for the viability of that going forward.” – Gov. DeSantis
- April 2, 2025 – Senate Panel Approves Racing Change – The News Service of Florida
PRESS COVERAGE – March 2025
- March 26, 2025 – Letter to the editor: Florida is at a crossroads. Lawmakers must decide whether they stand with our hardworking horsemen, breeders, and individuals who have built our state’s thoroughbred racing and agricultural heritage (David O’Farrell, General Manager, Ocala Stud Farm)
- March 20, 2025 – It takes 20 people to take care of 40 horses – Thoroughbred Racing Initiative – Randy Hartley of Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds
- March 20, 2025 – Allowing a Casino at Gulfstream Park Without Live Horse Racing Would Devastate Families Like Mine – South Florida Sun Sentinel (Op-ed Mark Casse)
- March 19, 2025 – Florida House Committee Passes Decoupling Bill – The Rail Talk Podcast (Joe Bianca and Jon Green)
- March 18, 2025 – Florida House Committee Passes Decoupling Bill – Thoroughbred Daily News (Bill Finley)
- March 18, 2025 – Hamelback: We All Must Defend Horse Racing’s Future – Eric Hamelback (National HBPA CEO)
- March 17, 2025 – House Committee to Review Bill That Could Impact Florida Horse Racing Industry with Damon Thayer – Podcast – Fox 35 News+ Orlando (Garrett Wymer)
- March 17, 2025 – Florida committee advances decoupling bill to the House floor – Horse Racing Nation (Ron Flatter)
- March 17, 2025 – Florida’s Thoroughbred Legacy Under Attack – David O’Farrell (Ocala Stud)
- March 16, 2025 – Q&A: NTRA’s Tom Rooney discusses Florida decoupling – Horse Racing Nation (Ron Flatter)
- March 14, 2025 – Q&A: Ex-Kentucky Senate leader Damon Thayer now focused on nixing Gulfstream decoupling – Daily Racing Form (Matt Hegarty)
- March 14, 2025 – Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse: “Decoupling would be an economic disaster” – TRI (Mark Casse)
- March 14, 2025 – Former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine Pens Op-Ed About ‘Critical Florida industry’ – Miami Herald (Philip Levine)
- March 6, 2025 – Saffie Joseph: Decoupling Bill ‘An Insult To Everything We Stand For’ – Paulick Report (Saffie Joseph op-ed)
- March 5, 2025 – Slot Machines Over Stallions? Florida’s Horse Racing Future Is at Risk – The Floridian (Opinion-Saffie Joseph Jr.)
- March 3, 2025 – Commentary: Thoroughbred industry is part of Florida’s rural renaissance – Orlando Sentinel (Opinion Lonny Powell)
PRESS COVERAGE – February 2025
- Feb. 26, 2025 – What’s at Stake with Florida’s Decoupling Bills: $3.24B Industry, 33.5K jobs, 87K Thoroughbreds – Thoroughbred Racing Initiative (Damon Thayer)
- Feb. 19, 2025 – Voss: Florida Decoupling Could Have Ripple Effects Beyond Race Dates – Paulick Report (Natalie Voss)
- Feb. 18, 2025 – Breeders, Horsemen Unite to Fight Florida Decoupling Bills – Press Release (Thoroughbred Racing Initiative, Rail Talk)
- Feb. 18, 2025 – Tampa Bay HBPA Interview With FTBOA Member Jayson Werth – Tampa Bay HBPA (Cheri Prill, Stunning Steeds LLC, Equine Marketing)
- Feb. 16, 2025 – The impact on an industry, the dangers of decoupling and the thoroughbred industry in Marion County – 352today (Ben Baugh)
- Feb. 13, 2025 – New bill threatens live horse racing in Florida, critics worried it will hurt industry and revenue – Wesh 2 News (Senait Gebregiorgis)
- Feb. 12, 2025 – Decoupling bill affecting Thoroughbred horse industry worries residents in Marion County – 20-WCJB News
- Feb. 12, 2025 – Open Letter to the Industry on Florida Decoupling Legislation – OBS Sales
- Feb. 10, 2025 – Horse Racing Faces An Unforeseen Future – Fox News Radio (Janice Dean Podcast) – If Florida succeeds in decoupling, it will set a dangerous precedent for other states, potentially leading to the decline of the entire industry.
- Feb. 8, 2025 – Decoupling Statement from Illinois Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association – FTBOA (ILHBPA)
- Feb. 6, 2025 – Horse racing in Florida faces uncertain future – Fox 35 Orlando podcast (Natalie Voss) Voss, Paulick Report, joined FOX 35’s Garrett Wymer on Florida Live to discuss state lawmakers considering a bill to get rid of the requirement for Florida horse tracks to run a certain number of races in order to have a casino, and other impacts of a potential decoupling bill.
- Feb. 6, 2025 – Thoroughbred industry alarmed by bill to ‘decouple’ live racing and gambling Central Florida Public Media – (Jim Saunders – The News Service of Florida)
- Feb. 6, 2025 – Florida’s Racing’s Future: Decoupling Bill Passes Subcommittee – Canadian Thoroughbred
- Feb. 6, 2025 – Letter to Editor: Horsemen Must Unite to Defeat Decoupling – Blood Horse (Carlo E. Vaccarezza)
- Feb. 5, 2025 – Decoupling Bill Passes Florida House Subcommittee – Florida Equine Communications (Brock Sheridan)
- Feb. 5, 2025 – Bill would end mandate that Tampa Bay Downs keep live racing to host poker rooms WUSF – (Jim Saunders – News Service of Florida)
- Feb. 5, 2025 – Florida House Subcommittee Advances Decoupling Bill – Blood Horse (Byron King)
- Feb. 4, 2025 – Document Reveals Starting Point of Decoupling Discussions Between 1/ST and Florida Horsemen – Paulick Report (Natalie Voss)
- Feb. 4, 2025 – Paulick: Fearful For The Future Of A Sport I Love – Paulick Report (Ray Paulick)
- Feb. 4, 2025 – Jena Antonucci: Preserving Florida — an agricultural triumph – Florida Politics
- Feb. 3, 2025 – South Florida Horsemen Change Course, Oppose Decoupling – Blood Horse (Eric Mitchell)
- Feb. 3, 2025 – Damon Thayer: As Did Kentucky Florida Legislature Should Bet On Live Racing – National HBPA (Damon Thayer)
- Feb. 3, 2025 – Report: Stronach hires racing exec to explore sale of 1/ST tracks – Horse Racing Nation staff (John Cherwa of LA Times report)
- Feb. 3, 2025 – Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen Vote Unanimously Against Decoupling – Paulick Report (Press Release)
- Feb. 3, 2025 – Report: Keith Brackpool Hired To Explore Sale Of Stronach Tracks – Paulick Report (Paulick Report Staff)
- Feb. 2, 2025 – Inside California horse racing’s complex problems that could hurt the sport nationwide – Los Angeles Times (John Cherwa)
PRESS COVERAGE – January 2025
- Jan. 31, 2025 – FTBOA Stands Against ‘Selfish, Nefarious’ Decoupling Plan – (George Isaacs FTBOA president as run in the Paulick Report)
- Jan. 31, 2025 – Is Racing Really Apart of The Stronach Group’s Future? – Blood Horse (Jay Hovdey)
- Jan. 31, 2025 – Decoupling Threatens Florida Racing, Other Tracks – (Canadian Thoroughbred (CT Staff)
- Jan. 30, 2025 – Letter to Editor: Gulfstream, Santa Anita, And Decoupling – Thoroughbred Daily News (John Sikura)
- Jan. 30, 2025 – Letters: Calls for Organized Opposition of Decoupling – Letters to the Editor – Preventing Decoupling in Florida Important to Industry Nationally – Blood Horse
- Jan. 30, 2025 – “Horseman fighting Horsemen?” New Organization Formed In South Florida – Paulick Report (Ray Paulick)
- Jan. 29, 2025 – Episode 77: What Comes After Gulfstream – Rail Talk video clip (Joe Bianca and Jon Green React to Pegasus World Cup card)
- Jan. 29, 2025 – Florida Legislature Sets Gulfstream Decoupling Session – Horse Racing Nation (HRN Staff)
- Jan. 28, 2025 – The Domino Effects of Decoupling: Why Florida HB 105 Threatens the Future of Horse Racing – FTBOA (Eric Hamellback, CEO National HBPA)
- Jan. 25, 2025 – FTHA will “reassess” its position on Gulfstream decoupling – DRF (Matt Hegarty)
- Jan. 24, 2025 – Gulfstream Park’s Future: “It’s Become A National Issue” – TDN (Dan Ross)
- Jan. 23, 2025 – Decoupling Threatens Florida Thoroughbred Racing – Standardbred Canada (online)
- Jan. 23, 2025 – Letters To The Editor: Your Thoughts On Gulfstream Park – Paulick Report (Letter to the Editor)
- Jan. 22, 2025 – Rail Talk Episode 76: Florida Forecast: Cloudy with a Chance of Shutdown – Stronach Group: Gulfstream Decoupling – Hosts explain The Stronach Group’s pressure campaign on Gulfstream’s horsemen and whether or not the South Florida staple’s days are numbered.
- Jan. 22, 2025 – Gulfstream’s Decoupling Proposal – Rail Talk video clip – (Jon Green / Joe Bianca)
- Jan. 22, 2025 – Gulfstream’s Potential Shutdown – Rail Talk video clip – (Jon Green / Joe Bianca)
- Jan. 21, 2025 – Dale Romans Joins TDN Writers’ Room Podcast – Thoroughbred Daily News
- Jan. 20, 2025 – KTA/KTOB Joins Opposition to Florida Decoupling Effort – Blood Horse (Eric Mitchell) – The Kentucky organization is prepared to assist its members stabled in Florida.
- Jan. 20, 2025 – Kentucky Thoroughbred Association Issues Statement Against Florida Decoupling – Paulick Report staff
- Jan. 20, 2025 – Keeping Pace: It’s Simple – Racing Needs South Florida – Paulick Report (Andrew Cohen)
- Jan. 17, 2025 – Flatter: A negotiating light at the end of the Florida tunnel – Horse Racing Nation (Ron Flatter) – “The breeders have a stronger hand than we do,” he said. “They’ve got more to lose than we do. They’re the ones who are strong in Tallahassee, and they’re going to fight it.”
- Jan. 16, 2025 – Gulfstream’s Support of Decoupling Draws Ire of Many – Blood Horse (Frank Angst)
- Jan. 16, 2025 – Horsemen Told Gulfstream Park’s Days Are Numbered (2028 final year) – Paulick Report (Ray Paulick)
- Jan. 15, 2025 – Stronach to Fla. horsemen: Decoupling = 3 years of racing – Horse Racing Nation (Ron Flatter)
- Jan. 15, 2025 – Florida horsemen will discuss Gulfstream decoupling plan – Horse Racing Nation (Ron Flatter)
- Jan. 15, 2025 – 1/ST commits to three years at Gulfstream, if horsemen support decoupling – DRF (Matt Hegarty)
- Jan. 10, 2025 – View From The Eighth Pole: Florida Decoupling And The Hapless Horsemen’s Organization – Paulick Report (Ray Paulick) – The decision by a horsemen’s organization to support legislation that could end live racing at Gulfstream Park has “flabbergasted” some members of Florida’s Thoroughbred industry
- Jan. 9, 2025 – THA (National organization) Releases Statement Opposing Decoupling Legislation In Florida – TDN (Alan Foreman)
- Jan. 9, 2025 – National HBPA Statement on Florida Live Racing Decoupling – (HBPA website)
- Jan. 9, 2025 – Florida Bill Would Decouple Slots, Racing Licenses At Gulfstream Park – Paulick Report (Ray Paulick)
- Jan. 7, 2025 – FTBOA, NHBPA Against Decoupling for Florida Racing – Blood Horse (Eric Mitchell)
- Jan. 7, 2025 – 1/ST seeks to separate racing, slots operations at Gulfstream – Horse Racing Nation (Carolyn Greer)
- Jan. 7, 2025 – Statement from NHBPA CEO Eric Hamelback on Florida proposal to decouple live racing from gaming – (HBPA press release /The Pressbox newsletter)
- Jan. 7, 2025 – 1/ST Racing, FTHA throw support behind Florida decoupling bill – DRF (Matt Hegarty)
PRESS COVERAGE – December 2024
- Dec. 2024 – CEO Corner – A Look at 2024 – FTBOA (Lonny Powell)
Return to the April 29 issue of Wire to Wire
