After years of open reporting, Florida’s shift to a private federal system leaves the public in the dark while horses continue to suffer fatal injuries at major tracks.
By Senior Staff Writer, Edmond Thorne for OmniCom MultiMediaFlorida News Network: Tallahassee —For decades, Floridians could look up how many horses died at the state’s two major thoroughbred tracks, Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs. Those numbers were never easy to read, but they were public. State records showed an average of about 94 horse deaths each year, according to reporting from animal welfare groups and past state disclosures. That transparency ended when Florida adopted rules from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, known as HISA.…