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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Florida has been a popular destination for film producers for decades. From “Girl Happy,” a 1965 film starring Elvis Presley shot in Fort Lauderdale, to “Miami Vice” and then “Burn Notice,” our East Coast beaches are attractive options.

Proponents of the entertainment industry taking advantage of Florida’s resources argue that Sunshine State exposure through film stimulates the economy and increases tourism. They’ve been pushing for Florida to expand its tax credit program and increase the number of incentives given to those who film in-state, the Tampa Bay Times reported. Since 2003, the entertainment industry incentive program has distributed $296 million in tax credits to various projects.

Now, according to Integrity Florida, a research institute and watchdog agency, members of the film industry are pressuring the state for a $1 billion package to subsidize the production of movies, TV shows, video games and other entertainment industry productions through 2020.

The arguments made by those in Hollywood are appealing. After all, who can argue with encouraging projects that pump “$1.6 billion into Florida’s economy and (create) more than 190,000 temporary jobs,” as some officials have claimed?

However, there’s more to the story.

None of the data is backed up by hard numbers. Florida Watchdog reported that the Office of Film and Entertainment, a five-person operation that oversees the subsidy program, hides itself from the public eye. Although the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s website offers “unprecedented access” to taxpayer-funded incentive contracts such as to the film industry, no information about the OFE is available.

This lack of transparency was called into question by the Integrity Florida report.

“The Office of Film and Entertainment ... does not always disclose online both the specific value of the tax credit awards along with the actual production company names of the recipients,” the report’s key research findings stated.

The report also called into question the program’s lack of compliance with state statutes and its first-come, first-served practice of awarding incentive deals rather than discerning which projects would bring more revenue than others.

In moving forward, Integrity Florida didn’t advocate rejecting the $1 billion proposal — rather, it recommended revamping the entertainment industry incentive program. Obviously, legislators and business owners would prefer films choose Florida as a shooting location rather than Georgia or Alabama; thus, it’s in the state’s best interest to keep Florida attractive to producers.

Integrity Florida recommended more online disclosure, full compliance with Sunshine State Law’s open-meeting regulations, increased fiscal responsibility for incentive deals and more objectivity and oversight when it comes to approving grants for certain projects.

It’s in the state legislator’s capacity to implement these changes. Before making a $1 billion investment of taxpayer dollars, we hope they do so.

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[A version of this editorial ran on page 6 on 3/27/2014 under the headline "Florida’s Hollywood tax credit program needs work"]

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