State paid Pitbull $1M for tourism promotion

Miami rapper Pitbull revealed Thursday that he received $1 million from the state to promote Florida as a tourism destination last year. The pop superstar posted the contract on Twitter two days after a top lawmaker sued his production company for release of his secret contract with Visit Florida, the state’s tourism promotion agency. “It’s been an honor to represent Miami and the Sunshine State. I’ve taken Miami and Florida worldwide — WAY before any contract, and will do so way after. I love my home state,” Pitbull tweeted with a link to the contract

itself.

The amount of the deal drew scorn from some lawmakers.

“One million dollars. From the taxpayers. How many school books, miles of sidewalks or [law enforcement officer] salaries could this otherwise provide,” tweeted Rep. Dane Eagle, RCape Coral.

On Tuesday, House Speaker Richard Corcoran sued PDR Productions, Pitbull’s management company, in Leon Circuit Court for blocking access to the agreement.

Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes, said Thursday it was “unfortunate” it took legal action to make the contract public, but he also slammed the existence of Visit Florida, a public-private group created by lawmakers 20 years ago.

“The reality is that not one single [piece of] evidence is out there to suggest that there is a correlation between the amount of money we spend on advertising and the amount of tourists,” Corcoran said on WFTL radio in West Palm Beach.

“This agency didn’t even exist prior to 1996. And guess what, we had tons of tourism. Tourism is determined upon the economy. When people are doing well, they come here more. When they’re not doing well, they come here less. It doesn’t matter how much we spend,” he added.

The contract, many details of which had been withheld for more than a year, broke down like this:

$250,000 upfront for a “talent fee” and the use of Pitbull’s name and likeness.

$250,000 after the music video for his 2014 single “Sexy Beaches” was released featuring Florida beaches and hotels, along with Visit Florida’s marketing slogan #LoveFL.

$100,000 for appearing in a short promotional video for Visit Florida called “Conquering Florida.”

$100,000 for promoting Visit Florida vacation packages along with his New Year’s Eve performance in Miami.

$300,000 to post on Twitter, Facebook and other social media using the #LoveFL phrase and promote Visit Florida at his concerts around the world.

During the deal, which ran from July 1, 2015, to June 30, Pitbull sent 19 tweets with the #LoveFL hashtag, and three after the contract expired. He was already in the habit, having tweeted 10 times with that message in the six months prior to the contract, which was not renewed.

The Orlando Sentinel asked Visit Florida for the agreement in October 2015 but was given a copy that was nearly completely redacted, including the amount paid to Pitbull and even the name of his management company.

Visit Florida officials said Pitbull had declared those details a trade secret exempt from Florida’s public records laws.

In the past, Visit Florida CEO Will Seccombe defended blocking the details from the public as essential to getting the best deal for the state. During a Senate hearing Wednesday, however, Seccombe said any future deals would not be secret.

“We made the commitment that we will not ever enter into an agreement that can’t be made fully public,” Seccombe said. “I think it’s incumbent upon Visit Florida to always be able to demonstrate the results that we’re able to achieve and the return on investment.”

But he still defended the contract as a net benefit to taxpayers.

“This was a strategically based decision, a lot of metrics in place,” Seccombe said.

In December 2015, the Sentinel reported that in addition to the Pitbull contract, details of other deals with a London soccer club and a racing car team were kept secret. Visit Florida also paid for the vacations of foreign journalists who would later promote the state, and the agency hadn’t received a government audit since it was created in 1996.

But no bill was filed to increase transparency or change Visit Florida’s oversight, and the agency received $78 million in tax money for the current budget year.

Gov. Rick Scott ordered an audit in April, which recommended Visit Florida be more transparent, better explain its deals and conform its travel guidelines for employees with those for regular state workers.

That led to details of some contracts being released. When the deal with Fulham, a soccer club in England’s second-tier league, was renewed this year, its $1.5 million payment from the state for Visit Florida marketing deals, ads at its stadium and on its jerseys was revealed.

Despite Pitbull’s contract ending, his tweet said he’s dedicated to the state regardless of the status of the contract.

“When asked to take on a New Year’s show, I INSISTED it be live from Florida. #LoveFL since birth ... and til the day I die. Dale!’’ it said.

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