"With state coffers shortchanged, Gov. Charlie Crist was smart to negotiate a gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe. The wisdom of that effort, however, doesn't negate the need for a proper vetting of the deal.

House leaders now suing the governor are asking a valid legal question that Florida's Supreme Court needs to answer. Can the governor sign such compacts without the consent of or review by the Legislature?

It's up to the justices to sort this one out, but the lawsuit points to an existing void in the checks and balances system.

At the federal level, for example, it's the executive branch that negotiates treaties, which must then be ratified by the Senate. If Florida's system of government does not require legislative review, then the governor would be granted de facto sovereign powers, as argued in the lawsuit filed by the House and Speaker Marco Rubio.

That seems ill-advised, particularly on an issue as important as gambling.

A compact makes economic sense. But it needs review by another branch of government to make sure it is the best deal Florida can strike, and that it meets the letter of the law."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Florida House raises legitimate constitutional question in gambling lawsuit (The South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial 12/14)
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