latino news bites
VISIT FLORIDA
Partners With Pitbull
VISIT FLORIDA and global
music superstar Pitbull have
teamed to launch a partnership designed to help
Florida integrate its travel
brand into the international
music scene.
Highlights of the partnership include:
• With more than 100
million social followers,
Pitbull will use and feature
VISIT FLORIDA’s #LoveFL hashtag on all his video
screens at concerts around
the world, as well as on his
live New Year’s Eve special
from Miami on Fox.
• VISIT FLORIDA will be
doing a week-long takeover
on Elvis Duran and the
Morning Show/iHeart Radio
featuring daily prize packages to Miami and VIP passes
for Pitbull’s New Year’s Eve
event.
• Florida’s beaches will be
the exclusive backdrop of
Pitbull’s upcoming video
for the single “Sexy Beaches” – his videos have over
six billion views, his world-
wide music sales exceed 60
million singles and he has
No. 1 hits in more than 15
countries.
“Pitbull is certainly ‘Mr.
Worldwide,’ but he’s also a
native Floridian with a true
passion for the Sunshine
State,” said Paul Phipps,
chief marketing officer for
VISIT FLORIDA. “Aligning
our two brands not only
allows us to have a Florida
ambassador who can help
tell the authentic story of
the state’s diverse travel
experiences, but provides
us a platform to reach a
new generation of travellers
through his global fan base.”
Other elements of the partnership will include promotional appearances, concert
“meet and greets,” social
media calls to action driving
to VISIT FLORIDA’s Facebook page and the inclusion
of Florida locales in future
music videos.
“Florida is home, and I’m
excited to be working with
VISIT FLORIDA to share
what I love about the Sunshine State with my fans
around the world,” Pitbull
commented.
Spanish-language
Instruction Supported by the Majority of
Floridians
By: Grace Masada
According to a recent survey
conducted by the University of
Florida, 67 percent of Floridians support requiring Spanish
language instruction in Florida
public schools.
Preparation for a global economy is at the core of education.
While public instruction in the
state of Florida appropriately
addresses core curriculum of
mathematics, science and English, additional skillsets that
position students for the evolving 21st century work force
can enhance student preparation for an ever-demanding,
multi-cultural worldwide marketplace. “Overall reactions to
the notion that Spanish should
be a required subject in public
schools was far less polarized
and more popular than we
imagined,” said Chris McCarty, director of the University of
Florida Survey Research Center
at the Bureau of Economic and
Business Research, which conducted the survey.
2013 US Census figures note
that 23.6 percent of Floridians
identify as Hispanic as compared to 17.1 percent nationally. However, Hispanics are
not Florida’s only population
sub-group supporting multilingual instruction. A majority
of non-Hispanic Floridians,
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