Greyhound racing in Florida
U.S. States / Florida
On November 6, 2018 Florida citizens voted 2-1 to prohibit dog racing and thousands of greyhounds got the second chance they deserved!
Read the timeline to victory and learn how you can sponsor a hound as tracks continue to close in other US states and worldwide.
Species Unite - Greyhound racing now outlawed in Florida
Gambling News - Dog Racing Days Are Officially over in Florida
DONATE TO SUPPORT OUR FLORIDA CAMPAIGN
The New Barker - Read about the history of dog racing in Florida and the campaign to pass Amendment 13 in the New Barker.
Thanks to Doris Day for endorsing the Protect Dogs - Yes on 13 campaign to phase-out dog racing in Florida!
In 1931, Florida became the first state to authorize pari-mutuel wagering on dogs, and it is now home to two of the seven dog tracks nationwide. Racing dogs are kept confined in small, stacked cages for 20-23 hours a day and fed a diet based on raw 4-D meat. Over the past decade, over 400 greyhounds have tested drug-positive at tracks across the state, including 68 cocaine-positives. When let our of their cages to race, these gentle dogs face the risk of serious injury and death. In fact, according to state records, a dog dies every three days at a Florida racetrack.
Penrose Jake died after colliding with another dog at Orange Park Kennel Club. (Brianna Burkhart)
A caged greyhound at a Florida kennel. (Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering)
Shortys Babydoll died after breaking her legs in this Orange Park race. (bestbet Jacksonville)
As in other US states greyhounds in Florida spend most of the day in a small cage. (bestbet Jacksonville)
GREY2K USA Worldwide was the chief sponsor of Amendment 13, a constitutional amendment to prohibit dog racing and close down the twelve tracks of Florida. The old Miami track, Flagler Greyhound Park, chose to shut down before the vote. The question was approved by a margin of 69% to 31% on the statewide ballot on November 6, 2018 and triggered a 26-month phase-out of live racing through December 2020. Thousands of dogs will now receive the second chance they deserve. Florida was truly the hub of dog racing worldwide. It was the first place in the world to legalize commercial dog racing, and we believe that the passage of Amendment 13 signals hope for greyhounds everywhere.
By law, the holders of dog track licenses were required to offer at least 100 live racing performances each year. In Fiscal Year 2016, there were a total of 3,369 performances each comprised of 8 to 15 races, amounting to 44,364 total races.1 As of October 2018, there were 3,700 greyhounds registered at track kennel compounds across the state.2
Greyhound racing in the state was regulated by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). In May 2013, GREY2K USA lobbied successfully before the agency for an animal welfare rule that contained several greyhound provisions and that required the reporting of greyhound deaths at all tracks statewide.3 Additionally, a 2016 Seminole County ballot question brought by GREY2K USA's Committee to Protect Greyhounds resulted in a one-of-a-kind regulation which required the Sanford Orlando Kennel Club to license individual greyhounds and to publicly report all racing injuries.4 No other Florida dog tracks ever disclosed this information, which undoubtedly impacted efforts to educate voters about the cruelty of dog racing. In the end, new DBPR records showing that a greyhound died every three days prompted voters to order the shut down of all dog racing by December 2020.5
In Fiscal Year 2016, the total amount gambled on live racing at Florida dog tracks was $87,003,278.6 This amounts to a decline of 56.6% since 2006.7
Learn more about dog racing in other U.S. states
Learn about dog racing around the world
Take action to save greyhounds
More ways to help dogs in Florida
Sign our petition to stop cocaine use in greyhound racing >
Pledge monthly >
Florida anniversary brings big news in West Virginia
Hooray! Florida track to be demolished and property redeveloped
Double your gift to bring the greyhounds home
Celebrate Florida ban with a 2019 Greyhound Freedom calendar
Timewarp?
Florida Racing Ban: Facts and Fiction
Will November 6 be Greyhound Independence Day in Florida?
Making history for greyhounds
"This is a common sense, moral issue. Florida should not continue to be a subsidizer of the death of dogs."
— Florida Senator Don Gaetz
Sign our Florida petitions
Victory! Stop innocent greyhounds from being electrocuted for racing
Stop cocaine use in greyhound racing
Victory! Repeal the law requiring Florida gambling facilities to offer greyhound racing
Featured Florida Videos
Florida Resources:
GREY2K USA Worldwide's groundbreaking report on greyhound deaths in Florida shows a dog dies every 3 days.
Read the report here.
Commercial Dog Racing in the United States
Florida Adoption Groups
Elite Greyhound Adoptions
Greyhound Adoptions of Florida
Racing Dog Retirement Project
Senior Greyhound Adoption of Florida
Florida State Links
Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering
Governor's Contact Page
Florida State Legislature
Find Your State Legislators
Active Florida Tracks:
Derby Lane (St. Petersburg)
Palm Beach Kennel Club (W. Palm Beach)
"Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering 85th Annual Report Fiscal Year 2015-2016, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, January 25, 2017, myfloridalicense.com (accessed September 1, 2017).
Elise Hu, "After Florida Ballot Measure Banning Greyhound Racing, What Happens To The Dogs?," Here and Now, NPR November 12, 2018, wbur.org (accessed November 15, 2018).
Fla. Admin. Code R.61D-2.2023.
Martin E. Comas, "Seminole Oks new regulations on greyhound race track," Orlando Sentinel, August 9, 2016, orlandosentinel.com (accessed December 28, 2020).
George Diaz, "Time for Florida greyhound racing to hit dead end," Orlando Sentinel, March 22, 2018, orlandosentinel.com (accessed December 28, 2020).
Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering 76th Annual Report Fiscal Year 2006-2007, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, January 25, 2008, myfloridalicense.com (accessed September 1, 2017); Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering 85th Annual Report Fiscal Year 2015-2016, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, January 25, 2017, myfloridalicense.com (accessed September 1, 2017).
Stay up to date and learn how you can help.