From the 305 to worldwide, Pitbull is Florida's paid ambassador

By Jay Cridlin of the Tampa Bay Times

“Priceless” is a good word when it comes to Pitbull and Florida. A year ago, the chart-topping rapper — born Armando Christian Perez, a.k.a. Mr. 305, a.k.a. Mr. Worldwide — signed a deal with the public-private partnership Visit Florida to become the state's tourism ambassador.

...For Visit Florida, though, the deal did not come without criticism. Why would a partially state-funded entity recruit a global pop star as a spokesman? Why weren't the terms of their deal disclosed? What were Floridians really getting out of this deal with the king of "dale?"

The contract between Pitbull and Visit Florida was signed Aug. 3, 2015 — a year ago next week. As he hits Tampa Saturday for a concert at Amalie Arena, this feels like a good time to ask: Has everyone gotten their money's worth?

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