Florida's attorney general and a Broward County racino filed suit in two different federal courts on Dec. 20th seeking to block federal ratification of a casino compact signed by Florida Gov. Charles Crist with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, in a suit filed against the U.S. Department of the Interior in U.S. District Court in Washington, DC, asked the court to block implementation of the compact until the Florida Supreme Court determines if it is valid.

Gulfstream Park Racing Association, which operates a racino in Broward County, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Tallahassee seeking to block the Department of Interior from ratifying the compact and asking the court to declare it invalid.

The Interior Department has until Dec. 29 to rule on the compact signed Nov. 14th, which would give the Seminoles Class III slot machines plus blackjack and baccarat at their seven casinos in return for paying Florida at least $100 million a year for 25 years.

McCollum, in suing a fellow Republican Crist, said "we have in this situation a very questionable act on the part of the governor that the state Supreme Court is well within its power to review.

"The governor took it upon himself not to seek approval of the Legislature. We have criminal laws in our state -- laws that prohibit some of the gaming activity that this compact would allow," McCollum said.

"The issue at stake here is not how the Florida Supreme Court should rule on the matter before it, but rather the right our state has to resolve this matter before an action is forced by the federal government," a spokesperson for McCollum said.

"The uncertainty of the compact's validity will create profound concern should the compact be considered valid federal law before it has been clarified appropriately by the Florida Supreme Court."

The Florida Supreme Court has postponed oral arguments until Jan. 30th -- more than a month after the Interior Department is expected to act.

Barry Richard, lead lawyer for the Seminoles, said even if the Interior Department approves the compact, the tribe would have little time to expand gambling prior to Florida Supreme Court action.

''They're not going to start gaming immediately,'' Richard told the Miami Herald. "It's expensive, and they need to ramp up. At the very least, they may put a few machines in.''