Rubio: “Today I directed attorneys representing the House of Representatives to file the attached petition in the Florida Supreme Court. The petition
asserts that the Governor lacked the authority unilaterally to bind our state to a gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. As relief, the petition asks the Court to declare the compact invalid unless and until it is approved by the Legislature. By filing our petition directly in the Supreme Court, we have chosen the approach that will resolve this dispute as efficiently and definitively as possible.

"Although this litigation arises in the context of a debate over the expansion of gambling, the principles at stake are far larger than that single issue. This case is about protecting our system of checks and balances. Rather than place too much power in the hands of one person, our constitution divides power among three equal branches of government. I have an obligation to protect and defend the constitutional role of the Florida House of Representatives. "