ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County commissioners have unanimously approved a $25 million film incentive program aimed at attracting more Hollywood productions to Central Florida over the next five years.
Starting next year, the county will allocate $5 million annually to the program, funded by the Tourist Development Tax.
Qualifying film projects can receive a 20 percent rebate up to $1 million if they meet specific criteria, including spending at least $400,000 locally and featuring Orange County locations in their films.
The county said in the 1990s, Orlando earned the nickname “Hollywood East” and experienced a boom in film production due to the construction of Disney-MGM Studios, Universal Studios, and the addition of Nickelodeon Studios.
But according to the county, when the state eliminated film incentives in 2016, local programs scaled back, just as Georgia ramped up their pursuit of TV and film productions.
The new Orange County film incentive program hopes to bring some of that industry back.
“I built my entire career here in the city beautiful and like thousands of us I want to stay here, I want to work here, I want to contribute here,” said Eddie Venegas, a local filmmaker. “We all know somebody who’s into television, who’s making videos, and now we’re gonna help you stay here and use that talent here in Central Florida,” said Mayra Uribe, Orange County Commissioner.
To qualify for the incentive program, production crews must prove they spent multiple nights in Orange County hotels, must document efforts to hire local film industry professionals, and must ultimately hire at least five recent graduates from an Orange County film program.
Leah Ricketts, a UCF senior, expressed her support for the program, stating, “I would love for this film incentive to go through because as someone who knows how difficult it is to get into the industry, I wish there were more incentives to go here, my hometown.”
County leaders have noted that over 3,000 people graduate from Central Florida film programs each year, but more than half leave the area after graduation. The program aims to retain this talent by providing more local job opportunities.
With the new film incentive program, Orange County hopes to bolster its local economy and retain film graduates by encouraging more productions to choose Central Florida as their filming location.
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