Yesterday Sheriff’s Office detectives began notifying the staff and management at arcade establishments of provisions of House Bill 155 which was signed into law by Governor Rick Scott on April 10.

According to spokesman Thomas Raulen, Sheriff’s Office investigators have been distributing informational flyers and advising arcade managers and owners to seek legal advice from an attorney if they have questions about compliance with the new law.  Raulen said the Sheriff’s Office will not be giving legal advice to arcade owners nor will detectives  be determining compliance during this notification process.

A  press release issued by the Sheriff’s Office yesterday indicated that enforcement action will begin, “once any ambiguity in the law is cleared and establishments have the opportunity to come into compliance…As with any new law which governs such activity there will likely be a period of adjustment to determine what activity actually violates the statute and what is legally permitted. Each establishment’s procedures and gaming devices will be evaluated individually to determine if the law is being violated. Investigators will be coordinating with the Office of the State Attorney before enforcement action is taken and to ensure any response is appropriate. “