Florida lawmakers are hoping to shed light on a contract between the state’s tourism agency and the rapper Pitbull. His production company claims compensation is a trade secret.
House Speaker Richard Corcoran is taking Pitbull’s PDR productions to court in hopes of making the rapper’s promotional contract public. Sen. Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg) says if Pitbull got public money, the agreement should be public knowledge.
“He should get the information,” Brandes says of Corcoran’s lawsuit.
“To me public dollars were spent,” he goes on. “That’s a public record and he should absolutely get the information.”
Brandes chairs the Senate’s appropriations subcommittee for transportation, tourism and economic development, meaning the state’s tourism agency Visit Florida falls under his jurisdiction.
“I’m not against people having bold ideas, and executing on those,” Brandes says, “but I want to make sure that at the end of the day that reflects the values of the state of Florida, and I think that’s the concern here—that the dollars were spent in a way that doesn’t represent our values.”
Visit Florida is seeking $76 million in the coming year, but the House has signaled it may pare that back.
