LEE COUNTY, Fla.- The bitter battle over expanding gambling in the state is now taking root in Southwest Florida. On Tuesday, Lee County Commissioners passed a measure that would ask voters to decide whether slot machines should be allowed in local gaming halls.

"I wouldn't suggest anyone go out and get their bag of quarters and get ready for any slot machines," Lee County Commissioner Frank Mann said Wednesday.

Mann says he's all in for keeping slot machines out of Southwest Florida.

"It's a Las Vegas atmosphere. I don't want lee county to have the motto, 'What happens in Lee County, stays in Lee County," he said.

Mann was one of two dissenting votes-- not enough to stop the Commission from passing a measure that would allow Lee County voters to decide whether slot machines should be added to the Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track.

"I believe it's a decision the voters should make, not any legislator or politician," said Izzy Havenick, whose family owns the track.

The Bonita Springs compound wants to restructure by adding slot machines alongside existing amenities like greyhound racing and poker.

"It would create hundreds of new jobs, it would be an increased tax base to both the city and the county as well as create a bunch of development around the track," Havenick said Wednesday.

Even if voters were to pass a referendum on November ballots, Mann says the Legislature will have the last say.

"Lee County does not have the authority to approve slots, even if the people voted for it. Even if we allowed a referendum on it. It still requires Tallahassee to approve this, and it's highly unlikely that they're going to," Mann said.

Florida's Attorney General Pam Bondi has already expressed concern with slot machine referendums. She believes state licensing agencies should not approve counties based solely on referendum results.