(1) Each thoroughbred permitholder shall annually, during the period commencing December 15 of each year and ending January 4 of the following year, file in writing with the division its application to conduct one or more thoroughbred racing meetings during the thoroughbred racing season commencing on the following July 1. Each application shall specify the number and dates of all performances that the permitholder intends to conduct during that thoroughbred racing season. On or before March 15 of each year, the division shall issue a license authorizing each permitholder to conduct performances on the dates specified in its application. Up to February 28 of each year, each permitholder may request and shall be granted changes in its authorized performances; but thereafter, as a condition precedent to the validity of its license and its right to retain its permit, each permitholder must operate the full number of days authorized on each of the dates set forth in its license.

(2) A thoroughbred racing permitholder may not begin any race later than 7 p.m. Any thoroughbred permitholder in a county in which the authority for cardrooms has been approved by the board of county commissioners may operate a cardroom and, when conducting live races during its current race meet, may receive and rebroadcast out-of-state races after the hour of 7 p.m. on any day during which the permitholder conducts live races.

(3)(a) Each licensed thoroughbred permitholder in this state must run an average of one race per racing day in which horses bred in this state and duly registered with the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association have preference as entries over non-Florida-bred horses, unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the permitholder, the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association, and the association representing a majority of the thoroughbred racehorse owners and trainers at that location. All licensed thoroughbred racetracks shall write the conditions for such races in which Florida-bred horses are preferred so as to assure that all Florida-bred horses available for racing at such tracks are given full opportunity to run in the class of races for which they are qualified. The opportunity of running must be afforded to each class of horses in the proportion that the number of horses in this class bears to the total number of Florida-bred horses available. A track is not required to write conditions for a race to accommodate a class of horses for which a race would otherwise not be run at the track during its meet.

(b) Each licensed thoroughbred permitholder in this state may run one additional race per racing day composed exclusively of Arabian horses registered with the Arabian Horse Registry of America. Any licensed thoroughbred permitholder that elects to run one additional race per racing day composed exclusively of Arabian horses registered with the Arabian Horse Registry of America is not required to provide stables for the Arabian horses racing under this paragraph.

(c) Each licensed thoroughbred permitholder in this state may run up to three additional races per racing day composed exclusively of quarter horses registered with the American Quarter Horse Association.

History.—s. 46, ch. 92-348; s. 6, ch. 93-123; s. 14, ch. 96-364; s. 7, ch. 98-190; s. 39, ch. 2002-402; s. 3, ch. 2003-295; s. 18, ch. 2009-170; ss. 4, 5, ch. 2010-29.