{"id":107842,"date":"2026-01-06T18:14:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T18:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/107842\/"},"modified":"2026-01-06T18:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T18:14:10","slug":"10-years-after-state-incentives-ended-florida-could-revamp-its-film-policy-via-license-plates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/107842\/","title":{"rendered":"10 years after state incentives ended, Florida could revamp its film policy \u2014 via license plates"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lawmakers may soon revisit Florida\u2019s long-running debate over film incentives \u2014 not through tax credits, but by creating a specialty license plate to aid the industry while gauging residents\u2019 appetite for broader action.<\/p>\n

A to-be-filed bill by Miami Beach Republican Rep. Fabi\u00e1n Basabe would create a \u201cFlorida Film Legacy\u201d specialty license plate. Proceeds from plate sales would go to Feature Florida Partnerships<\/a>, a nonprofit that supports local filmmakers and works to rebuild the state\u2019s motion picture infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Basabe said the proposal offers a \u201cgrassroots way to engage Floridians\u201d in shaping the future of Florida\u2019s film and creative industries, adding that strong plate sales would signal public interest in renewed state involvement.<\/p>\n

\u201cFlorida once had a vibrant film and television presence that created jobs, developed local talent and highlighted our communities,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow Florida approaches this space in the future is a discussion worth having, and it should be informed by participation from Floridians themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The proposal comes nearly a decade after Florida lawmakers allowed a statewide film and TV production incentive program to expire amid funding disputes. From 2010 to 2016, the Legislature allocated $296 million<\/a> to provide tax credits to film studios and other production companies that shot primarily in Florida.<\/p>\n

That program coincided with a surge in Florida-based productions, including USA Network\u2019s \u201cBurn Notice,\u201d HBO\u2019s \u201cBallers\u201d and Netflix\u2019s \u201cBloodline.\u201d Combined, they reached more than 1.5 billion viewers worldwide \u2014 exposure the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau estimated was equal to $405 million in advertising value.<\/p>\n

VISIT FLORIDA reported that in 2012, 23% of tourists said shows and movies shot in the Sunshine State influenced their travel plans. By 2016, however, lawmakers declined to replenish the incentive program, and productions began leaving the state.<\/p>\n

Many relocated to neighboring states with active and well-funded incentive programs. Today, Florida is the only state in the Southeast without a statewide film incentive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not on a level playing field,\u201d Sandy Lighterman, President of Film Florida, told Florida Politics<\/a>. \u201cThe winners are the ones that have an incentive. The losers are the ones that don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In the four years that followed the death of Florida\u2019s incentive program, Florida lost more than 70 major film and TV projects that would have spent $1.3 billion statewide, created 110,000 cast and crew jobs, and booked more than 220,000 hotel room nights, a 2020 resolution by former Miami-Dade Commissioner Rebeca Sosa said.<\/p>\n

Some local governments have attempted to fill the void left by the state. In 2017, the Miami-Dade Commission approved a measure by then-Commissioner Sally Heyman establishing a local tax rebate program for entertainment productions. The initiative attracted projects including \u201cRed Table Talk: The Estefans\u201d and \u201cCritical Thinking,\u201d a feature film about Miami Jackson High School\u2019s championship chess team directed by John Leguizamo.<\/p>\n

In December 2023, Miami-Dade expanded those efforts<\/a> by establishing a high-impact film fund, backed by Commissioner Ren\u00e9 Garc\u00eda, designed to provide between $5 million and $10 million annually in rebates for large-scale film and television productions shot locally.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, multiple lawmakers \u2014 including Sarasota Republican Sen. Joe Gruters, Fort Pierce Republican Rep. Dana Trabulsy and North Miami Democratic Rep. Dotie Joseph \u2014 have unsuccessfully pushed in recent years<\/a> to revive a statewide incentive program.<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump has also shown interest in the issue. Last year, he briefly floated a 100% tariff on foreign-made films<\/a> before backing away from the idea amid widespread criticism. He has also expressed support for a proposed federal framework<\/a>, backed by major industry figures like Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight, that would offer federal tax breaks to domestically shot productions. That advocacy led last year to bipartisan legislation<\/a> that has yet to pass.<\/p>\n

Basabe\u2019s proposal would operate independently from those local and federal efforts, but it could help inform future policy debates.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis Legislation provides a simple, transparent starting point, allowing residents to signal interest, support talent development and help guide future conversations about workforce pipelines and economic opportunities,\u201d he said. \u201cAt its core, this Bill is about participation, collaboration and giving Floridians a voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

A draft of the bill Basabe shared with Florida Politics shows it would take effect Oct. 1, 2026, if approved this year. Beginning Sept. 1, 2027, Feature Florida Partnerships would be required to submit an annual financial report detailing the use of its share of the license plate proceeds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lawmakers may soon revisit Florida\u2019s long-running debate over film incentives \u2014 not through tax credits, but by creating…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":107843,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[5461,409,55224,55225,16438,55226,21352,55227,55228,28,55229,30,29,2508,55230,5077,55231,24150,55232,55233,9407,13947,1459],"class_list":["post-107842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-dana-trabulsy","tag-donald-trump","tag-dotie-joseph","tag-entertainment-industry","tag-fabian-basabe","tag-feature-florida-partnerships","tag-film","tag-film-and-tv-incentives","tag-film-industry","tag-florida","tag-florida-film-legacy","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-joe-gruters","tag-john-voight","tag-movies","tag-rebeca-sosa","tag-rene-garcia","tag-sally-heyman","tag-sandy-lighterman","tag-sylvester-stallone","tag-television","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107842"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107842\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}