TUCSON, Ariz. – The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association is exploring the possibility of opening a new track near Ocala, Fla., using a non-profit racing license issued by the state more than a decade ago, according to the association’s top official. Lonny Powell, the chief executive officer of the FTBOA, said that the organization has enlisted two partners in the effort, Philip Levine, a former mayor of Miami., and John Morgan, the attorney who founded the Morgan & Morgan Law Firm, whose television ads are ubiquitous in Kentucky. Morgan is a horse owner and racing fan, Powell said. Powell made the announcement at a panel discussion on Tuesday morning at the University of Arizona Global Symposium on Racing that focused primarily on decoupling developments in the racing industry, including an ongoing effort by the owner of Gulfstream Park, 1/ST Racing and Gaming, to decouple its own racing and casino licenses. The FTBOA and every other major Thoroughbred constituency in the state opposed Gulfstream’s legislative effort earlier this year, and its bill was ultimately defeated. Still, the threat of decoupling looms over Gulfstream, Powell said, and though he said he remained supportive of racing at the track and in South Florida in general, the existence of the license spurred the FTBOA to create a new Delaware corporation to develop and fund a business plan for the Ocala permit. :: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!  “We’re going to get serious on this permit,” Powell said. “It is no longer going to be on ice.” The non-profit license, which was issued by the state, limits the racetrack to Marion County, where Ocala is located, and the license cannot be sold or transferred to any other entity. Powell said that the location was a net benefit to the project, despite its relative remoteness to major population centers, because of the breeding and training activities that form the backbone of the local economy. “That’s the horse capital of the world, and we have more infrastructure pound for pound than maybe even Lexington,” Powell said. [Decades ago, Marion County trademarked “The Horse Capital of the World,” much to the consternation of the Central Kentucky Thoroughbred community, under the distinction that the county has more horses per square mile than Fayette County, where Lexington is located.] Levine appeared at the symposium with Powell, and he acknowledged that he “knows very little about horse racing,” but he cited his career as a real-estate developer as adding expertise to the project. He also said that the project would not come to fruition without every major horse constituency in the state backing it. “What I do know about racing is that you have a lot of horses running against each other, and that’s what it seems like in this industry too,” Levine said from the audience. “But if you don’t start running together, there will not be a future in this industry. This is a great opportunity. But everyone has to work together.” Gulfstream Park, which is located inland in Hallandale Beach, is likely worth hundreds of millions of dollars as a real-estate development project, while it’s worth as a racetrack is substantially less. That has introduced concern that 1/ST will eventually sell the track regardless of the outcome of the decoupling effort, a fact that Powell acknowledged. “Everyone needs to give up on the idea that you are going to force [1/ST Racing] to stay committed to live racing,” Powell said. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.