As we know, a Republican Legislature is no rubber stamp for this Republican governor. Exhibit A: marketing. As in, the cost of–from Enterprise Florida to Visit Florida.
Incoming Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran has now made it clear that Visit Florida, which takes credit for ratcheting tourist numbers since 2009, will take a hit to its budget–one that has increased 169 percent ($29 million to $78 million) since 2009.
Gov. Scott, as we also know, is driven by jobs quantification. It’s his raison d’être and mantra. But Corcoran has a case beyond budget ideology. It’s called transparency.
Visit Florida doesn’t disclose what it spends on a number of its marketing sorties. That includes what it paid the hip-hopping Pitbull–and what it was that Pitbull did for his undisclosed fee.
This isn’t just about numbers. It’s about being up front. When you have to defend selective opaqueness and the merits of Pitbull as marketing magnet, you’ve made Corcoran’s case.
To no one’s surprise, Visit Florida–in taking credit for ripple effects of an overall improving national economy–uses the same numbers playbook as Scott.