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2011-05-C CITY OF CLERMONT ORDINANCE NO. 2011-05-C AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CLERMONT, LAKE COUNTY, FLORIDA, AMENDING CHAPTER 42, "OFFENSES" OF THE CLERMONT CITY CODE; CREATING ARTICLE IV "PROHIBITION OF SIMULATED GAMBLING DEVICES "; PROVIDING FOR LEGISLATIVE AUTHORIZATION; DEFINITIONS; INTENT; EXEMPTIONS; CONFLICT WITH STATE LAW; CIVIL PENALTIES AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF; PROVIDING FOR CODIFICATION, SEVERABILITY, CONFLICT AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS, pursuant to Article VIII, Section 2 of the Florida Constitution and Chapter 166 of the Florida Statutes, the City of Clermont is authorized and required to protect the public health, safety and welfare of its citizens and has the power and authority to enact regulations for valid governmental purposes that are not inconsistent with general or special law; WHEREAS, the public health, safety and welfare is a legitimate public purpose recognized by the courts of Florida; WHEREAS, there is presently in Central Florida an increasing proliferation of establishments that utilize computer or video displays of spinning reels or other simulations of games ordinarily played on a slot machine or in a casino or otherwise in connection with gambling and which show the results of raffles, sweepstakes, contests or other promotions, hereinafter collectively referred to in these recitals as "simulated gambling devices ", for commercial gain; and WHEREAS, the Council recognizes that while the State of Florida has authorized slot machine gaming at licensed facilities in certain areas outside of the City of Clermont, it also recognizes that establishments that utilize simulated gambling devices can deceive members of the public, including the elderly and the economically disadvantaged, into believing that they are engaging in a lawfully permitted gaming activity; and WHEREAS, the use of simulated gambling devices is therefore inherently deceptive; and WHEREAS, due to their inherently deceptive nature, establishments that utilize simulated gambling devices are adverse to the quality of life, tone of commerce, and total community environment in the City of Clermont, and have an unreasonable adverse effect upon the elderly, the economically disadvantaged, and other citizens of the City of Clermont; and WHEREAS, there is often a correlation between establishments that utilize simulated gambling devices and disturbances of the peace and good order of the community, and the concurrency of these activities is hazardous to the public health, safety, and general welfare of the citizens of the City of Clermont; and 1 CITY OF CLERMONT ORDINANCE NO. 2011-05-C WHEREAS, while other jurisdictions in Florida have attempted to utilize existing state laws to close these establishments that utilize simulated gambling devices with mixed success, it is believed that a local prohibition on such simulated gambling devices would close any alleged loopholes left by the state laws and enable local law enforcement to consistently enforce existing code provisions and statutes and safeguard the public's welfare; and WHEREAS, in order to ensure the uniform enforcement of existing laws, to preserve the public peace and good order, and to safeguard the health, safety, and general welfare of the community and citizens thereof, it is necessary and advisable to prohibit the use of simulated gambling devices, unless otherwise exempted by law or ordinance; and WHEREAS, several jurisdictions, including Seminole County and Orange County, Florida have the adopted findings as set forth in the above - recitals and have adopted prohibition on the use of simulated gambling devices. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the City Council of the City of Clermont, Florida: Section 1. The foregoing Whereas clauses are hereby ratified and incorporated as the legislative intent and findings supporting this Ordinance. Section 2. Chapter 42, "Offenses ", Article IV "Prohibition of Simulated Gambling Devices" of the Code of the City of Clermont, Florida, is hereby created to read as follows: Article IV. Prohibition of Simulated gambling Devices Section 42 -100. Legislative authorization. This Article is enacted in the interest of the public health, peace, safety, and general welfare of the citizens and inhabitants of the City of Clermont, Florida, pursuant to Article VIII, Section 2, Florida Constitution and Chapter 166, Florida Statutes (2010). Section 42 -101. Definitions. The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning: 2 CITY OF CLERMONT ORDINANCE NO. 2011-05-C Person means an individual, association, partnership, joint venture, corporation, or any other type of organization, whether conducted for profit or not for profit; or a director, executive, officer or manager of an association, partnership, joint venture, corporation or other organization. Simulated gambling device means any device that, upon connection with an object, is available to play or operate a computer simulation of any game, and which may deliver or entitle the person or persons playing or operating the device to a payoff. The following rules of construction apply to this definition of "simulated gambling device ": (1) The term "device" means any mechanical or electrical contrivance, computer, terminal, video or other equipment that may or may not be capable of downloading games from a central server system, machine, computer or other device or equipment. The term "device" also includes any associated equipment necessary to conduct the operation of the device. (2) The term "upon connection with" means insertion, swiping, passing in range, or any other technical means of physically or electromagnetically connecting an object to a device or inputting a password or code account number, or user name, into a device. (3) The term "object" means a coin, bill, ticket, token, card, password, code account number or similar object, obtained directly or indirectly through payment of consideration, or obtained as a bonus or supplement to another transaction involving the payment of consideration. (4) The terms "play or operate" or "play or operation" includes the use of skill, the application of the element of chance, or both. (5) The term "computer simulation" includes simulations by means of a computer, computer system, video display, video system or any other form of electronic video presentation. (6) The term "game" includes slot machines, poker, bingo, craps, keno, any other type of game ordinarily played in a casino, a game involving the display of the results of a raffle, sweepstakes, drawing, contest or other promotion, lotto, sweepstakes, and any other game associated with gambling or which could be associated with gambling, but the term "game" does not necessarily imply gambling as that term may be defined elsewhere. 3 CITY OF CLERMONT ORDINANCE NO. 2011-05-C (7) The term "payoff' means cash, monetary or other credit, billets, tickets, tokens, or electronic credits to be exchanged for cash or to receive merchandise or anything of value whatsoever, whether made automatically from the machine or manually. (8) The use of the word "gambling" in the term "simulated gambling device" is for convenience of reference only. The term "simulated gambling device" as used in this Article is defined exclusively by this subsection and does not incorporate or imply any other legal definition or requirement applicable to gambling that may be found elsewhere. Section 42 -102. Intent. The intent of the Council acting as the governing body of the City of Clermont, Florida in adopting this Article is to prohibit broadly the possession or use of simulated gambling devices, including any related activity or behavior which can be reasonably construed to be the use of simulated gambling devices. Further, the Council, in prohibiting simulated gambling devices, in no way intends to approve the use of actual slot machines, other forms of casino gambling or other types of gambling devices. In addition, this prohibition is aimed directly at devices that simulate gambling activity, regardless of whether the devices or the simulations in and of themselves can be said to constitute gambling as that term may be defined elsewhere. Section 42- 103. Prohibition of simulated gambling devices. It is unlawful in the City of Clermont for any person to design, develop, manage, supervise, maintain, provide, produce, possess or use one or multiple simulated gambling devices. Each individual act to design, develop, manage, supervise, maintain, provide, produce, possess or use a simulated gambling device constitutes a separate violation of this section. Section 42 -104. Exemptions. (a) This Article does not prohibit an individual's personal, recreational, and non - commercial ownership, possession, play, operation or use of a device which could be construed to be a simulated gambling device. (b) This Article does not prohibit the ownership, possession, play, operation or use of any device expressly permitted by the Florida Statutes and not otherwise prohibited by the Florida Constitution, except that devices permitted by Article X, Section 23 of the Florida Constitution and Chapter 551, Florida Statutes, in Broward and Miami -Dade County only are not permitted by this Article. 4 CITY OF CLERMONT ORDINANCE NO. 2011-05-C (c) This Article does not prohibit a religious or charitable organization from conducting a fund raising activity involving gaming, provided the religious or charitable organization provides advance written notice to the City of Clermont Chief of Police of the date, time, place, and nature of such activity and who will be conducting it, and the activity is not otherwise unlawful. Section 42 -105. Conflict with state law. Nothing in this Article is intended to conflict with the provisions of the Florida Constitution or Chapter 849, Florida Statutes, concerning gambling. In the event of a direct and express conflict between this Article and either the Florida Constitution or Chapter 849, Flonda Statutes, then the provisions of the Flonda Constitution or Chapter 849, Florida Statutes, as applicable, control. Section 42 -106. Civil penalties and injunctive relief. (a) Civil penalties. Any person who violates this Article is subject to the fine provisions of Chapter 2, Article V of this Code. Each simulated gambling device, possession or use thereof, constitutes an individual offense for the purpose of Chapter 2. (b) Injunctive relief The City of Clermont Attorney's Office or special counsel as otherwise authorized, is authorized to pursue temporary or permanent injunctive relief or any other legal or equitable remedy authonzed by law in courts of competent jurisdiction to cure, remove or end any activity which violates this Article. Section 3. Codification. The text of Section 2 of this Ordinance shall be codified as a part of the Clermont City Code. The codifier is authorized to make editorial changes not effecting the substance of this ordinance by the substitution of "article" for "ordinance ", "section" for "paragraph ", or otherwise to take such editorial license. Section 4. Severability. If any provision of this Ordinance or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, it is the intent of the Council that the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of this Ordinance which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this Ordinance are declared severable. 5 CITY OF CLERMONT ORDINANCE NO. 2011-05-C Section 5. Conflict. All Ordinances or parts of Ordinances, all City Code sections or parts of City Code sections, and all Resolutions or parts of Resolutions in conflict with this Ordinance are hereby repealed to the extent of such conflict. Section 6. Effective Date and Enforcement Abatement. This Ordinance shall take effect upon the filing of a copy of this Ordinance with the Department of State by the City Clerk of the City Council of Clermont, Florida or November 1, 2011, whichever occurs later. Provided, however; that enforcement is abated until May 1, 2012 with regard to any person, as defined in this Ordinance, that lawfully possesses or uses one or multiple simulated gambling devices within the City of Clermont as of the day of First Reading of this Ordinance. 6 CITY OF CLERMONT ORDINANCE NO. 2011-05-C INTRODUCED AS FIRST READING by the City Council of the City of Clermont, Lake County, Florida, this 11 day of October, 2011. PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Clermont, Lake County, Flonda, this 25 day of October, 2011. � CITY OF CLERMONT Fn' A } *' e ':' r `* S. Turville, Jr., Mayor :94 v'4��} a P.. �� Ff Pvrl A ATTEST: Tracy • kroyd, City C1:,'r Approved as to form and legality: .rl . an • , - . • orney