ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida's tourism agency will pay its outgoing president and CEO $73,000 amid a shakeup that was prompted by a controversial deal with rapper Pitbull.
The Visit Florida board of directors agreed Tuesday to pay Will Seccombe, who agreed to resign after pressure from Gov. Rick Scott.
Visit Florida will hire Ken Lawson, the current secretary of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, to replace Seccombe.
Seccombe has led the agency since 2012 after serving as its chief marketing officer for nearly five years.
During his tenure, he signed off on a $1 million contract with Pitbull that was initially kept secret.
According to Pitbull's contract with Visit Florida from June 2015 to July 2016, the Latin artist would be paid no more than $1 million to promote the state through a music video, hashtags and guest appearances. That amount did not include pre-approved travel and production expenses.
"If you look at it from a media perspective, in terms of impressions and reach, it's not a lot of money," said Wilson Camelo with Camelo Communication.
Pitbull filmed a video for his song "Sexy Beaches" as part of the contract and agreed to promote the #LOVEFL hashtag on his social media sites and at concerts.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cox Media Group
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