One day after Hollywood’s biggest awards night, the Florida Senate Tourism Committee unanimously passed a $300 million package to attract film and television production to the Sunshine State.
Proposal SPB 7056 also moves the state’s Office of Film and Entertainment to Enterprise Florida the state’s quasi-governmental business recruitment agency. The office was formerly part of the Department of Economic Opportunity.
“This is our big film package of the year,” said committee Chair Nancy Detert.
The intention is to “entice people to make more movies, TV series and even build studios in Florida where I think, frankly, they belong as opposed to California,” Detert said. “We know who our competitors are, we know how much money they give. We would like to at least give enough money in tax incentives in order to be competitive. We’ll never give the most.”
The package would spread out at $50 million a year for six years.
In a 2010 funding program, the Legislature allocated $296 million for incentives. In that program, the money was spent immediately. A similar legislation (HB 983) proposes tax credits of more than $1 billion also spent over six years. The House bill has yet to come before a committee.
