International superstar Gloria Estefan has donated the use of her 1990 ballad, "Coming Out of the Dark," as a music foundation for a new video depicting the furor of Hurricane Irma in the Florida Keys, the resilience and spirit of Keys residents, some of the aid provided and the post-storm resumption of tourism flow to the island chain.
The video, being showed on and shared via Keys social media outlets, uses the song Estefan wrote and released following a 1989 tour bus accident that almost claimed the Grammy Award-winning singer’s life.
The first song that Estefan performed publicly after recovering from the accident, it is also dedicated to husband Emilio Estefan, Jr.
The video was produced by the Monroe County Tourist Development Council to provide a balanced perspective on the Keys.
"There are some areas of the Keys that will be recovering for quite some time," said Andy Newman, the TDC’s long-time media relations director. "On the other hand, some businesses were minimally impacted and are open."
"Given that tourism is the Keys’ top revenue generator and 50 percent of the labor force is employed in visitor-related jobs, it’s crucial to motivate visitors to experience the Keys -- but without hampering ongoing recovery," he said.