Florida Gov. and House speaker seeking end to lottery tussle

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) Gov. Rick Scott and House Speaker Richard Corcoran are trying to end their tug-of-war over the state-run Florida Lottery.

Lawyers for both sides told an appeals court on Friday they had entered “good faith negotiations” to resolve a lawsuit over the lottery.

A judge in March ruled lottery officials lacked the legal authority to approve a 15-year contract worth more than $700 million. Corcoran sued the state’s lottery secretary and argued a contract with IGT Global Solutions was illegal because it exceeded the Florida Lottery’s authorized budget. Attorneys hired by the Scott administration maintained it was legal.

The governor disagreed with the decision and appealed the ruling to the 1st District Court of Appeal. The motion filed Friday asked for a 30-day stay of the case to allow for negotiations.