Miami-Dade is looking to build their film industry by offering a $100,000 local subsidy.
“It helps the show runners. It helps the producers when the studio asks: Is there an incentive?” said Kim Wolf, owner of Worldwide Production Services in Coral Gables told the Miami Herald. “It’s a little nod.”
The new film incentive is set to start on October 1st. In order to qualify for the $100,000 subsidy, a production would have to spend at least $1 million within the county, film 70 of the production in Miami-Dade, hire at least 50 county residents and have Miami-Dade firms make up at least 80 percent of the production’s vendors. An extended application and audit process would delay payouts until after production has completed.
Miami-Dade hopes the new program will motivate producers who would normally film in Miami but won’t consider the filming locations if incentives are not a possibility.
“There are projects that say: ‘We will come here if you give us something,’ ” said Sandy Lighterman, head of the county’s film office. “We need something for the bean counters and the financial people.”
It is important to note that Miami-Dade’s decision to add a film subsidy comes after Florida lawmakers decided to end their $300 million incentive program.
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