Lonnie Powell, CEO of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association (FTBOA), announced Tuesday at the University of Arizona Horse Racing World Symposium that the FTBOA has partnered exclusively for several years with a Delaware-based company founded by former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and billionaire lawyer John Morgan. Their goal is to develop a state-of-the-art thoroughbred racing and entertainment complex in Marion County.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the first time such plans have been publicly revealed,\u201d Powell shared with attendees. This collaboration will utilize FTBOA\u2019s unique Non-Commercial Horse Racing License, the only legally recognized thoroughbred permit of its kind remaining in Florida.<\/p>\n
Powell praised Levine as \u201cthe visionary behind this initiative.\u201d Morgan, known for his leading personal injury law firm Morgan & Morgan, is also a prominent thoroughbred breeder through a partnership with Kentucky\u2019s Coolmore. \u201cWe created this ourselves without handlers, lobbyists, lawyers, or outside industry groups,\u201d Powell said. \u201cThree individuals sat down and asked, \u2018How can we push this forward?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Levine addressed the audience directly, drawing a comparison to a famous quote about bank robbers. \u201cWhen John Dillinger was caught in the 1930s, he was asked why he robbed banks. He replied, \u2018Because that\u2019s where the money is.\u2019 So why place a racetrack in Ocala? Because that\u2019s where the thoroughbreds are,\u201d Levine explained.<\/p>\n
He also defended Powell\u2019s efforts, acknowledging the resistance Powell faces. \u201cYou get a lot of arrows. No one likes a man fighting battles. Ronnie carries more arrows on his back than you can imagine because he\u2019s been fighting for this industry,\u201d Levine said.<\/p>\n
Regarding permits and future steps, FTBOA\u2019s non-commercial permit\u2014secured in 2011 and converted to a thoroughbred permit shortly after Powell took charge\u2014is currently on hold in preparation for this new development. Powell clarified that, being a non-profit, the permit is meant to fund awards, purses, and horse research for breeders rather than to support real estate ventures. While the new project won\u2019t affect racing in South Florida, regulatory challenges remain tough. Permits there are location-specific, and Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs have both signaled their intention to cease live racing.<\/p>\n
Powell and Damon Thayer of the Thoroughbred Racing Initiative vowed to oppose a decoupling bill set for the 2026 legislative session. Thayer, former Kentucky Senate majority leader, stressed a \u201cmultilateral\u201d strategy and praised Churchill Downs\u2019 multi-billion dollar private investment in Kentucky\u2019s racing infrastructure as a benchmark. He also promised to release a long-awaited feasibility study within two weeks before Christmas.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone needs to abandon the idea that we must stay tied to live racing,\u201d Powell stated, referring to the Stronach Group. \u201cThey are now behind us in both state and national industry perspectives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fan Take: This announcement signals a bold new chapter for thoroughbred racing in Florida, potentially revitalizing the sport with modern infrastructure and focused breeder support. For fans, it means renewed hope for sustained growth and innovation in a sport deeply rooted in tradition yet eager for progress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lonnie Powell, CEO of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association (FTBOA), announced Tuesday at the University of Arizona Horse Racing World Symposium that the FTBOA has partnered exclusively for several years with a Delaware-based company founded by former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and billionaire lawyer John Morgan. Their goal is to develop a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32007,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2443],"tags":[2955],"class_list":{"0":"post-32006","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fighting","8":"tag-horse-racing"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32006"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32006\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}