John Morgan outlines vision for Florida Thoroughbred racing future

John Morgan spent Thursday at the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association headquarters in Ocala, where he laid out his vision for the future of Florida Thoroughbred racing and breeding. The meeting was not just a feel-good stop. It was a practical test of whether the state can turn an idea into a real racetrack, with land, licensing, money, political backing and breeder support all still needing to line up.

That matters because Florida’s Thoroughbred economy has been rattled for years by uncertainty around live-racing economics and purse support. FTBOA leadership has framed the Ocala and Marion County corridor as the center of the state’s breeding business, which makes any plan there more than a track proposal. It becomes a bet on whether breeders, owners and horsemen can be kept invested in Florida instead of pushed elsewhere by instability in South Florida.

FTBOA CEO Lonny Powell said on Dec. 9, 2025, at the University of Arizona Global Symposium on Racing in Tucson, Arizona, that the organization had entered a multi-year exclusive agreement with a Delaware-registered entity formed by former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and John Morgan. The goal is to pursue a modern Thoroughbred racing and entertainment complex in Marion County, with Powell saying FTBOA was looking at activating a long-dormant, non-profit, Thoroughbred-specific state racing permit tied to Ocala.

That is the key distinction between a vision and a viable project. A vision says Florida should protect racing and breeding. A viable project has to answer where the track would go, how it would be financed, who would approve it and whether enough horsemen and breeders would support moving forward. FTBOA has said it wants to preserve sound industry economics and reaffirm racetrack commitments to live racing, but those commitments only matter if the plan can actually deliver stalls, purses and a sustainable operating model.

The timing gives the proposal extra weight. Florida horsemen’s agreement with Gulfstream Park was reported to expire Dec. 31, 2025, adding pressure to a live-racing model already under strain from decoupling threats. FTBOA has presented the proposed Marion County track as a safeguard for live racing and the state’s breeding industry, not just another development pitch. In a state where the breeding shed, the backstretch and the wagering product are tied together, the next step is not more rhetoric. It is proving the project can be built and can survive.