WINTER 2016 INFLUENCE | 41 over the years. “Burn Notice,” “Magic City,” and “The Glades” were filmed here. So was “Dolphin Tale,” “Rock of Ages,” and “Moonlight.” And the popular Netflix series “Bloodline” and HBO’s “Ballers” even called Florida home. But as the incentive pot began to dry up, so did the number of projects coming to Florida. In the last three years, Lux said the state has lost nearly 50 film and TV projects that wanted to come to Florida but couldn’t “because of the lack of a funded program.” Film Florida estimates the state has lost out on more than $650 million in projects during the three-year period. And that number is about to rise. Variety, a film and TV industry trade publication, reported in November that “Ballers,” the HBO series starring Dwayne Johnson, is moving to California from Florida for its third season. The first two seasons of the show were filmed in Miami. The publication reported the series is scheduled to shoot its next 10 episodes in the Golden State, employing 135 cast, 209 base crew, and 5,700 extras. The reason? Variety reported conditional approval for $8.3 million in tax credits from the state. And while “Bloodline” initially said it would continue production in Florida, Netflix announced in September it was cancelling the show after its 2017 run. Variety and other trade publications, including The Hollywood Reporter, cited the end of the tax credit program — and the high costs associated with filming — as reasons for why the show might have been cancelled. Filmed in the Florida Keys, the Florida Keys & Key West Tourist Development Council has said the first season of the show generated $65 million in new travel spending, 1,738 jobs and $9.4 million in state and local tax revenue. “Our industry is a business, and business will go where they get the most value. If a project can spend $10 million in another state and get a tax credit back for a small percentage, as opposed to coming to Florida and getting nothing back, most will go where they can get a better deal,” said Lux. “The people that suffer most are Floridians, the thousands of industry professionals that work on films and television series. If less projects come to Florida, there is less work, which means people can’t earn a living,” he continued. “That means families suffer, industry workers may file for unemployment, or eventually leave the state. And it’s not just people in the film, TV, and digital media industry, but also hotels, restaurants, hardware stores, dry cleaners, etc., because those industries do work on film and television projects.” While Lux said Film Florida’s top priority during the 2017 legislative session will be to work with lawmakers “to find a solution,” the trade association could face an uphill battle. House Speaker Richard Corcoran has led the fight against incentive programs, using his position as the House Appropriations chairman to block measures in the past. And as speaker, the Land O’Lakes Republican has all but declared a war on incentives, calling similar incentive programs “corporate welfare.” “It is a horrible, horrible use of taxpayers’ dollars, and there is no return on investment,” Corcoran told the Capitol News Service in November. “And as a person who is finally charged with protecting the taxpayers’ money, I’m not going to waste it by giving it to Hollywood producers. They can go elsewhere if they want to, but the reality is Florida is Florida.” The film industry isn’t just up against the Florida House; it will also have to battle Americans for Prosperity if it wants to revive an incentive program. The conservative organization has railed against film and sports incentives in the past, even launching a direct mail campaign in 2016 to call out lawmakers who supported the incentive program. “As an organization, we want all industries in Florida to thrive. We want government to get out of the way so that all Florida families and entrepreneurs can succeed without unnecessary roadblocks or dependency on special carve-outs,” said Chris Hudson, the state director of Americans for Prosperity-Florida. “Historically, the film industry has been solely focused on pushing for special favors, by way of lucrative handouts — that’s not in the best interest of taxpayers. Instead of pushing for taxpayer handouts, we should work together to find areas where regulatory reform could benefit the various industries within Florida’s Hollywood enterprises to help these businesses grow and continue showcasing all that Florida has to offer.” Film Florida isn’t deterred by the prospect of a tough fight. Lux said all the organization can ask for “is open dialogue about different options.” “Whether there is a program in place or not, our industry will continue to fight to be successful,” he said. “If Florida struggles to get TV series and feature films to come to the state, we will focus our efforts on commercials and independent films. Those may not spend as much money and may not hire as many people, but our industry is flexible and resilient so many will do what is needed to do.” PHOTOS: Courtesy respective studios and Film Florida (Lux( Lux
19520EE
To see the actual publication please follow the link above