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Sex, Money & Power: Agency that Used Your Tax Money to Pay Rapper Could be Cut

Gov. Scott says that would be a Big Mistake
Posted at 10:00 PM, Feb 03, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-03 22:00:29-05

Rapper pitbull got paid and taxpayers got ripped off, according to House Speaker Richard Corcoran.

"It's an absolute disaster and it's a disaster paid for by tax payers."

Now Speaker Corcoran is leading the charge. The house filing a bill that would strip the state funding of Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida-- the same agency that gave Rapper Pitbull a million dollars for a tourism music video. Governor Rick Scott defends Enterprise , and is fighting to keep it alive, asking for more than a 100-million dollars in funding for the agency in his proposed budget, claiming Enterprise has created jobs and  is the key to Florida's economic success.

But Speaker Corcoran calls it "corporate welfare".

"What we're trying to do is say the government shouldn't be picking winners and losers with hard earned tax payer money," says the House Speaker.

Enterprise Florida gives your tax dollars to companies with the expectation those companies will create jobs.

We dug through dozens of the state contracts promising big pay days for Tampa Bay businesses that deliver jobs.

When we asked Speaker Corcoran if he was at all concerned that cutting Enterprise would send the wrong message to the business community, he responded: "No the signal is this is 200 million dollars, let us take that and cut regulations and cut your taxes."

Cutting taxes is one thing the Governor and the Speaker both agree on.

But the Governor's office says companies that fail to live up to their end of the deal, never get one dime of your tax money.. However, the Speaker says that's simply not true.