Orange County leaders to vote on film industry incentives

By Jim Carchidi

Central Florida once hosted a revolving door of film and television projects, aided by the presence of Disney-MGM Studios, Universal Studios, and Nickelodeon Studios. Activity faded in recent years due to studio shutdowns a lack of financial incentives for new productions. But one county-approved group is introducing a proposal that could create a sequel to the region’s film industry success.

The Orlando area hosted several film and television productions before statewide incentives were halted in 2016. Photo courtesy of Florida Film Commission 

Locations have spanned theme parks, urban areas, and specially built sound stages. Photo courtesy of Full Sail

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The Orange County Film Incentive Workgroup is made up of local professionals including film industry veterans and educators. The group was established in 2024 by the Board of County Commissioners with the goal of exploring and recommending incentive programs for the film and television industries.

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Six Florida counties currently offer such incentive programs, aimed at attracting high-wage film and television production opportunities. They include:

• Miami-Dade: Provides cash rebates of up to 20% for qualifying productions.
• Broward:  Offers programs for major feature films, TV series, and commercials.
• Hillsborough: Provides marketing grants for projects filming in the Tampa area.
• Duval: Offers a 10% rebate for productions that meet minimum spending and local hiring requirements.
• Pinellas: The program provides a 15% cash rebate on local spending with additional incentives for showcasing recognizable locations and boosting marketing and tourism value.
• Palm Beach County: The county’s Film and Television Commission manages a sponsorship and development program for projects that create original tourism-focused content. Projects are required to have distribution outside the local marketplace and are granted free production support services and a streamlined permit process.

Orange County plans to be on the list, pending board approval of the incentive group’s current proposal. The measure includes a 20% rebate on film and TV production costs, capped at $1 million per project, and a 10% rebate for commercials, capped at $50,000 pre project.

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Students attending local film schools would need to be hired for productions hoping to benefit from county incentives. Photo courtesy of UCF

About $5 million in annual funding for the incentives would come from the county’s tourist development tax and productions must meet the following requirements for eligibility:

• Money must be spent on local hotels, catering, and wardrobe
• Local actors and students must be hired to work on the project
• Orange County would require a production credit in the project

An Orange County Government representative told The Orlando Real that a vote on the measure will be on the agenda at the Board of County Commissioners’ November 18 meeting.

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