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Jack Latvala defends Visit Florida amid Pitbull contract controversy

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Visit Florida, beleaguered over its $1 million promotional contract with the rapper Pitbull, found a defender Thursday in Senate budget chairman Jack Latvala. In light of a soft construction sector, “what’s kept the whole outlook from softening up has been our strong tourism economy,” Latvala told reporters after the Appropriations Committee heard about the financial demands the state faces during the next three years. “That’s particularly important today in light of the criticisms that seem to be coming now on a…

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Pitbull releases $1M Visit Florida contract on Twitter; state suit still pending

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In a surprise move, Miami rapper Pitbull released his entire controversial contract with Visit Florida this morning by posting it onto a tweet Thursday, revealing the breadth of duties he’d signed onto as a celebrity tourism ambassador for the state, and Florida’s fee for his service — $1 million per year. The move comes just over a day after Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran sued his production company to get a judge’s ruling against him. Corcoran was challenging claims that…

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Jeff Brandes backs House lawsuit to make Pitbull contract public

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A key state senator on Wednesday endorsed House Speaker Richard Corcoran‘s lawsuit seeking to open Visit Florida’s contract with the rapper Pitbull to promote tourism. “That’s a public record,” said Sen. Jeff Brandes, chairman of the Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development Subcommittee, which oversees Visit Florida. Corcoran sued in state court Tuesday seeking permission to subject the contract to public committee hearings. His suit named PDR Productions Inc., the rapper’s management company. The company maintains the document contains protected trade secrets.…

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Florida House sues over Visit Florida-Pitbull deal documents

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Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran sued PDR Productions Inc. Tuesday for a judge’s permission to publicly release documents involved in the Visit Florida deal used to hire Miami rapper Pitbull to promote Florida tourism. At issue is Corcoran’s concern that Visit Florida deals — done increasingly in secret — may require deeper scrutiny in how it’s spending state money. He wants the Florida House of Representatives Appropriations Committee to hold hearings, starting with a look at the PDR contract. But Visit Florida turned over…

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Despite philosophical differences, Richard Corcoran expects House committees to consider incentive requests

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New House Speaker Richard Corcoran expects funding requests for Florida’s top jobs agency to move through his chamber’s committees, despite his strong personal objections to taxpayer-financed economic incentives. Matt Dixon of POLITICO Florida reports Gov. Rick Scott is requesting $85 million in incentives for a broad range of business deals to attract businesses to Florida. Also, the Department of Economic Opportunity — an agency Scott oversees — is requesting funds for VISIT FLORIDA, the quasi-governmental tourism arm, and Space Florida,…

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Gov. Scott: record numbers of tourists vindicate Visit Florida’s mission

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Despite two hurricanes hitting the state, federal officials warning away pregnant women from Miami due to the Zika virus, and international coverage of the Pulse massacre this summer, Florida is doing better than ever when it comes to tourism. And in the context of an upcoming showdown with House Speaker Richard Corcoran over the necessity of Visit Florida — which has seen its budget nearly triple in the time Scott has been in office — the results driven by destination marketing dollars…

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Florida re-ups tourism deal with London ballers

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VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s tourism agency, says it’s continuing a sponsorship deal with a London soccer—er, football—team. The partnership with Fulham Football Club is entering its second year, according to an email sent Wednesday by Paul Phipps, the agency’s chief marketing officer. What’s the Florida connection? The club is owned by Shahid Khan, who also owns the Jacksonville Jaguars. “With the United Kingdom as one of Florida’s top overseas markets, the opportunity to engage with fans around two passions – travel and football – is…

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