On this day in vegan history · December 31, 2020
Florida's Last Greyhound Race
At 11:59 on New Year's Eve, a track in West Palm Beach ran one more race than it needed to, and the biggest greyhound racing state in the country went dark for good.
The facts
- Final race
- 11:59 p.m., December 31, 2020, at Palm Beach Kennel Club, West Palm Beach
- Derby Lane's last card
- December 27, 2020, before nearly 5,000 fans, after 95 years of racing
- The ban
- Florida's Amendment 13, approved by voters on November 6, 2018 with about 69% in favor
- Scale
- 12 greyhound tracks had been racing in Florida before the phase-out began
On December 31, 2020, Palm Beach Kennel Club in West Palm Beach ran live dog racing from noon until a final race at 11:59 p.m., the last moment state law allowed it. Four days earlier, Derby Lane in St. Petersburg, the oldest continuously operating greyhound track in the country, had already run its last card of races before nearly 5,000 fans, closing out 95 years there. Both tracks were carrying out Amendment 13, a constitutional amendment Florida voters passed on November 6, 2018 with about 69 percent in favor, ending wagering on live dog racing statewide. The racing industry sued to stop it, arguing the ban took their property without compensation, and Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker rejected that challenge and let the amendment stand.
In their words
The day in the words of the people who were there. Every quote is verbatim, and every source links out so you can check it.
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Whether Amendment 13's purpose was to protect the health and welfare of racing dogs or to prohibit wagering on dog races, Amendment 13 is a legitimate exercise of Florida's police power.
Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker, in the ruling dismissing the greyhound industry's lawsuit against the ban
Source: FOX 13 Tampa Bay
Why it still matters
Florida had run more greyhound tracks than any other state, so when Palm Beach Kennel Club and Derby Lane went dark, they took most of what remained of live commercial dog racing in America down with them.
Sources
This history is still being written.
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