Want more TV, film, commercial, and digital production in Tampa? There's an app for that.

OK, it's actually a legislative bill, not an app. It will increase TV, film, commercial, and digital production all over Florida. It will generate more revenue for Florida. And it will create more business for local businesses.

Entertainment Industry Economic Development: Florida House Bill 697 revises entertainment industry financial incentive program to provide corporate income tax & sales & use tax credits to qualified entertainment entities rather than reimbursements from appropriations; revises definitions, creation & scope, eligibility & application & approval processes; delineates duties of OTTED, OFE, & DOR regarding award, election, transfer, audit, & revocation & forfeiture of credits; provides rulemaking authority for DOR & OTTED; repeals tax credit 7/1/2015; adds tax credits to order of application of tax credits against certain taxes; authorizes DOR to share certain tax information with OFE & OTTED; limits application of entertainment industry tax credits; requires electronic funds transfer for tax credits under ch. 212 & provides procedures for transfer.

Overview
To stimulate film/TV/commercial/digital production and the economic activity that accompanies production, HB-697 would provide film and media production companies with up to $75 million a year in tax credits for hiring Florida workers. There is also up to a 5-percent enhancement for "family-friendly" productions. Sponsors are positioning the incentives as painless in a year when lawmakers face an estimated $2.6 billion budget shortfall -- the credits won't kick in until 2012, presumably when the economy is in full recovery mode.

Senator Mike Haridopolos of Merritt Island, who is next in line to be Senate president, and Representative Steve Precourt of Orlando, chairman of the Energy and Utilities Policy Committee, rolled out the Entertainment Industry Economic Development Act at a morning news conference. Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park and the speaker-designate, also calls the bill a top priority. "This is real economic development and a proven job creator," Haridopolos said.

Support Points
In 2008, every $1 of film incentives provided by the state was associated with $22 in additional gross state product and $1.44 in additional tax revenue

For every $1 invested in film, TV and digital media tax incentives production companies spend approximately $7 on Florida wages and Florida goods & services

For every $1 spent on a production within Florida, the state sees an additional 95 cents of impact

High-impact feature films and TV productions spend an average of $225,000 per day on-location

The money is spent in a multitude of ways throughout the community including but not limited to: hotel rooms, rental cars, travel, shipping, office space, warehouse space, office equipment, office supplies, cell phone/ walkie-talkie rentals, restaurants, bars/nightclubs, retail stores, dry cleaners, doctors, pharmacies, legal services, trainers, construction supplies, off-duty police and fire-rescue workers, security guards, barricades, cleaning services, location fees, park rentals, permit fees, gas, mechanics, electricians, plumbers, engineers and much more.

The film, TV, and digital media industry creates high wage jobs - In 2007, the film, TV and digital media industry directly employed approximately 102,000 Floridians at an average annual wage of $57,700; it provided Floridians with another 105,000 indirect spin-off jobs in related industries.

Florida currently possesses the third largest, trained, professional, entertainment industry workforce in the country.

The industry triggered significant private and state investment in Florida’s world-class graduate and undergraduate film, TV and digital media programs, now available in colleges and universities throughout the state.

Florida’s digital media, modeling & simulation and interactive entertainment companies are global leaders in the research, development and production of interactive and 3D digital content, entertainment software and development/production tools driving a massive media paradigm shift affecting virtually every business and every industry in 21st century society. Their products and services include:
- Mobile media content
- On-line and console video games
- 3D virtual worlds
- Media production portals
- Game engines & 3D production tools
- Online and interactive advertising
- Commercial animation and simulation
- And many more

Florida’s High Tech Industries work closely with our digital media and interactive entertainment companies capitalizing on their capabilities to produce military training simulations, medical visualizations, 3D virtual training environments and cost effective game based training platforms, to name a few.

Hospitality industries benefit from major marketing and advertising campaigns launched by studios and TV
networks to promote Florida-based productions.

Increased world-wide exposure triggers film-based tourism, driving more revenue into tax coffers.

High-impact feature films and TV projects stimulate the real estate industry by showcasing Florida’s desirable lifestyle globally.

On-location productions rely heavily on a complex combination of workers and businesses to make movies and TV shows, from construction through other skilled labor resources.


Florida’s investment in the film, TV and digital media industry will produce an immediate positive return on our investment.

Looking to the future, the industry can create many opportunities for broad-based investment (both foreign and domestic) to develop infrastructure and create bricks and mortar facilities, as well as creating opportunities for personal wealth-building by private investors in creative projects.

Florida’s investment in the film, TV and digital media industry will trigger more investment in Florida.
By working diligently to attract domestic and international film, TV and digital media companies, we can become a production hub for not only the southeastern United States, but for Latin America, South America and the Caribbean as well.

Florida’s investment in the film, TV and digital media industry will increase its presence as a Global Commerce Hub.

The film, TV and digital media industry represents high-wage employment opportunities for thousands of skilled, working Floridians immediately. Future investment in the industry will provide employment opportunities for the thousands of students that are pursuing film and new media career paths in Florida schools.