Panel Greater Miami Miami Beach
The leading authorities responsible for granting permits for filming and entertainment in Miami-Dade County – including Miami Beach and the city of Miami – participated in the session “Greater Miami and Miami Beach: A hotbed of production locations and financing incentives,” where Marco Girón, Film and Entertainment Commissioner of Miami-Dade County Office of Film and Entertainment, announced the new production incentive program approved on December 12 of last year.
The panel also included Joel González, Senior Advisor to the City Manager of Miami; Bruce Orosz, president of ACT Productions, Inc. and Chairman of the Greater Miami Convention Visitors Bureau (GMCVB); and a representative of the City of Miami Beach.
“We are launching this incentive program that will be key to the success of Miami-Dade. We know that a key part of this industry is incentives. Every major studio I’ve talked to since I was appointed commissioner in 2002 tells me: ‘Marco, we love Miami, the lighting is beautiful, and the crews are wonderful, but what is the incentive at your location?’ Last year, on December 12, thanks to the leadership of our mayor and the board of directors of the Miami-Dade Commission, we approved an incentive with a 20% cash rebate of US$50 million for the next five years, the first of its kind granted by a county government because usually the state gives tax incentives. It will have a great economic impact on tourism, jobs, and hospitality. It will be a game-changer for Miami-Dade County,” said Girón.
Orosz, involved in production and entertainment since 1983 when he opened his company ACT Productions, said: “The city has evolved incredibly, as you can see. Everyone from New York and California wants to make this place their home because we achieve results, and it is a friendly destination for the film industry. ACT Productions offers filming services, and we help to execute projects. In addition, as chairman of the bureau for more than nine years, we have managed, together with the county and Miami Beach, to facilitate everything producers want: hotels, locations, and the reduction of bureaucratic steps. I hope to see them making their projects a reality in Miami.”
The representative of Miami Beach said their incentives are smaller than other municipalities but stackable. “And most important is that we are working together to facilitate the process and make it positive for customers.” She explained that for two years, their incentive required having a percentage of rooms reserved in Miami Beach but this changed under the administration of Lisette García Arrogante, Director of the Tourism and Culture Department. Now, the requirement is to show that they are hiring local resources. “Now we offer grants of US$10,000 if you invest US$25,000 and a minimum of three days of production in the city.”
Girón concluded by thanking Danielle Marcel from his office, who did the data collection at the national level and who had the knowledge of how an incentive program works at the county level versus how it operates at the state level.
