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State's Lure Diminishes For Studios

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The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 3, 2009

FORT LAUDERDALE - With "Marley & Me," starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, open in theaters across the country, South Florida moviegoers can enjoy picking out local landmarks from Las Olas Boulevard to Dolphin Stadium.

South Florida is as much a character in the film as Marley, the story's unruly Labrador. The two months spent shooting the film in the region this spring pumped more than $10 million into businesses and paid wages for nearly 1,400 locals.

But Florida is beginning to fall off studios' radars. A fund the state provides to attract big film productions was slashed from $25 million last year to $5 million.

Now in its fifth year, Florida's budget for incentives is being dwarfed by other states, such as Louisiana, New Mexico and Michigan.

"It used to be we could compete with a less attractive or less generous incentive because we were Florida," said Lucia Fishburne, Florida's film commissioner.

Major film and TV productions that spend at least $625,000 in the state can qualify for a rebate that is typically 15 percent of the amount spent in Florida. The rebate can reach 22 percent if filming occurs during hurricane season and if the production is family-friendly. Productions also get a sales tax exemption.

In Florida, two bills that would lift the $5 million cap on incentives and offer a choice between a straight rebate or tax credit have been filed in advance of the spring legislative session.

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