From Orlando Sentinel:
Commentary:
Florida greyhound racing ban effort gets $1.5 million donation from celebrity Doris Day
The push to ban greyhound racing in Florida just got a huge financial boost from celebrity Doris Day, a long-time animal activist:
A $1.5 million check supporting Amendment 13, which would prohibit pari-mutuel operations from racing greyhounds or any other dogs for wagering. The amendment on the November ballot would phase out commercial dog racing in connection with wagering by 2020.
The announcement will be made today by directors of the Doris Day Animal League. It will be one of the largest donations in the history of the organization, founded in 1987 by Day, a world-renowned actress and singer.
“It’s a transformative moment for the campaign,” said Carey Theil, Executive Director of GREY2K USA Worldwide, the largest greyhound protection organization in the world.
Right now the immediate focus is on Florida, where information is key in getting people to understand what’s at stake.
Spread the news: This is an archaic and barbaric sport, and one that frankly is already losing traction nationwide. There are only 17 greyhound racing tracks in the country, although Florida has 11 of them, including the Sanford Orlando Kennel Club. Flagler just closed its track on June 30, although the casino remains open.
You can connect the dots and see why people are turning away. A report by the Tampa Bay Times in 2014 revealed that 74 dogs died on Florida racetrack properties between May 31 and Dec. 31, 2013 — one every three days.
Rescuing animals has been a long-time passion for Day, now 96.
“When it first came to her attention in the mid-’80s, she had already been engaged in the effort to make sure that former racing greyhounds were appropriately adopted out.” said Sara Amundson, President of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “This was a cause for her long before anyone in the U.S.knew about the tragedies associated with these tracks.”
In the push to get the amendment on the ballot, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi cited a number of alleged incidents in which dogs have been injured or abused, noting that 847 greyhounds have tested positive for illegal drugs, including cocaine, over the last decade.
Other politicians on both sides of the aisle have weighed in supporting the amendment, including Congressman Matt Gaetz, a Northwest Florida Republican. The proposal needs at least 60 percent approval to be added to the state constitution.
The money will help tremendously with the messaging, which will counter efforts of the Florida Greyhound Association, a group of greyhound owners and trainers. That group is pushing back with a lawsuit filed in Leon County circuit court seeking to block the ballot measure.
Doris to the rescue. For comparisons sake, the largest financial boost to the campaign had been $100,000.
“We see this is just a tipping point, said Holly Hazard executive director of Doris Day Animal League. “Our supporters and members and certainly Doris have been engaged and involved on this issue and seen the horrors of it for the past 20 or 30 years. The grassroots folks in Florida have just done a spectacular job in organizing and getting the messaging out, but they seem to need a significant boost to push this over the finish line. And this is what we’re about.
“This is a good place to put our energy.”
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