TAMPA, Fla. — Tucked away in the back of the Florida State Fair is a familiar voice that all Tampa Bay sports fans have grown to love over the years. It’s Paul Porter, the voice of the Lightning, the Bucs, and the voice of the Florida State Fair.
You could say Paul Porter was born to be in front of a microphone. He’s been the public address announcer for the Lightning since their inaugural season and the press box announcer for the Bucs for the past 12 years.
WATCH Voice of the Florida State Fair familiar to Tampa Bay sports fans
“The one word I would use is honor, it’s an honor to be that, it’s something that I enjoy, it’s fun to do, and they always say if you enjoy your job, if you like your job, you never work a day in your life,” said Porter.
What many fans may not realize is that for a few weeks every year, Paul is also the voice of the Florida State Fair.
“To me it’s giving back to the community, it’s a chance to come out and meet with your fellow residents, what a cross section of people that you find here at the fair,” said Porter. “A lot of people will see me and not recognize me with the voice. They will walk in and say, 'I think that’s the Lightning announcer, yea it is, I know it is.'"
Sometimes, Paul’s hockey lingo will even slip in with his fair announcements.
“Please make your way to the showgrounds now, one minute remaining before the show,” said Porter, who admits the announcement sounds a lot like, “one minute remaining in the period.”
One time, Paul even found himself in the fair’s penalty box.
“They said, ‘can you dial it down a little bit your scaring the horses,’ so they actually had to reduce the volume a little bit,” said Porter.
Paul says when you are asked to talk about all the different types of food, taste testing becomes one of the biggest perks of the job.
“I love the Saratoga Chips, those are good, but I like to try new things, and the fair always gives you new things to try,” said Porter.
Unlike sports, Paul says there’s no scoreboard at the fair.
“You’ll always go home a winner that’s for sure,” said Porter.
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