January 2021
Senator Joe Gruters filed SB 704 … to assist in Florida's economic recovery
Sen. Joe Gruters filed a bill Thursday that would set up a targeted rebate program aimed at attracting film and television productions to Florida.
SB 704 would set up the “Film, Television, and Digital Media Targeted Rebate Program” under the Department of Economic Opportunity.
Click HERE for the full story.
In a recent prescriptive report for Florida's economic health, support for film and digital media was highlighted as an essential recommendation to diversify our economy and get our state back on track. Florida TaxWatch, a highly respected conservative-leaning government watchdog group, has done the research, crunched the numbers, and found film and digital media as a targeted industry worth investing in for the sake of Florida's economy.
In the past, Florida was home to more than 4,400 established film and digital media businesses. Businesses responsible for creating 26,000 jobs for Floridians. High-skill, high-paying jobs, with average salaries of more than $81,000.
It is this office's opinion that a fiscally responsible, performance-based program is not only severely needed, but it is also necessary to ensure Florida's economy is diversified. An industry that has always been part of this state's fabric cannot and should not disappear as a result of inaction in Tallahassee. The full text of the Florida TaxWatch "Bringing the Sunshine State Back the Impact of COVID-19 Across Florida's Economy & Options for Recovery" is quoted below. As this year's legislative session begins, we hope you will arm yourself with knowledge and facts and speak to your local representatives.
From Florida Tax Watch (https://floridataxwatch.org/):
"State-level incentives to stimulate Florida's film and entertainment industry are both necessary and important to remain competitive. If the tax credit incentive program can be recreated to ensure the state makes back its investment, to create jobs for Florida residents, to promote Florida tourism, and to pump additional revenue into local businesses, then it would be in the best interest of the state for the Legislature to consider such revisions.
In 2017, there were more than 4,400 established businesses in Florida's film and entertainment industry (excluding digital media), employing more than 26,000 Floridians. These too are high-quality, high-paying jobs, with average salaries of more than $81,700. This is almost 69 percent higher than the average annual wage for all Florida industries ($47,060). The total wages paid to employees in Florida's film and entertainment industry in 2016
were $2.2 billion.
The film and entertainment industry also supports indirect jobs and wages in thousands of companies with which it does business, such as caterers, dry cleaners, hotels, florists, security guards and off-duty law enforcement officers, hardware and lumber suppliers, software, and digital equipment suppliers, as well as jobs in other companies doing business with consumers, such as video retailers and services, theme parks and tourist attractions."
WrestleMania returns to Tampa this April
A year after the pandemic took away Tampa’s opportunity to put on professional wrestling’s biggest annual spectacle, the city again will have its chance to host WrestleMania at Raymond James Stadium. The WWE announced the next three host cities Saturday night, and Tampa will host this year’s event, which will be spread out over two days April 10 and 11, and include limited seating capacity.
Most of downtown is being transformed for the Super Bowl experience, and film and photography activities are not being permitted through Feb 14 for the following locations: Kiley Gardens, Julian B. Lane Park, Curtis Hixon Park, Waterworks Park, and the Riverwalk. Please visit our site to explore alternative locations for your shoot or call us to talk through your production plan. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.
Fully Streamed Virtual Event Three Hours Leading Up to the Big Game
Download the Tsū app and join us for a three-hour pregame show Feb 7 before Super Bowl LV! Local celebrities and sports icons will be part of the show, hosted at Sparkman Wharf!
This month's Spotlight:
Sparxoo
Sparxoo is an integrated digital marketing agency in Tampa, Florida specialized in Digital Marketing, SEO, Paid Media, Social Media Management, and more
Stay tuned for more about Sparxoo.
