When Will Florida Get It Right?
TAMPA — Savannah, Ga., with its picturesque squares and Southern charm, inspired and hosted Clint Eastwood’s 1997 film “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.”
NOTE: I grew up, learned, and worked in Florida and its Film Industry. I was apart of the I.A.T.S.E 477 Union as a Grip, and either worked on, or was called to work on every motion picture that came to the Tampa Bay Area. I mostly made (part) of my living working on short films, documentaries, and more times than not, corporate videos and commercials. It’s a viable town for film, despite it’s abhorrent heat, and lends many unique and often wonderful locations and people to the film industry.
With that said, Florida’s legislation is full of the most jackass, self-serving idiots this side of the Hemisphere.
A few months ago, Ben Affleck was spotted in my home town of Tampa (more specifically the Ybor City District [think New Orleans-esque]) where the city was abuzz with rumors about a possible feature to be shot there. The writer, Dennis Lehane, a dual-resident of St. Petersburg and Boston, writer of such movies as Gone Baby Gone and Mystic River, had written his latest screenplay, Live By Night, centered in Ybor, and had been vying for consideration of the original town it was shot in.
Of course, given that Florida Representatives in Congress and the Legislature are complete morons who have no idea how money – much less incentives – work, have been slow to accept any kind of incentive deal for features that could boost the economy tenfold in the future.
And I’m not speaking out of my ass about this one. Earlier this year, I personally sent 15 letters to state congress-persons to plead for an incentive deal that was up for discussion in the budgetary plan. I received no less than 3 letters back, confirming that there was no current plan or discussion about initiating incentives in the year. The rest… I didn’t get a response from.
What I’m trying to say is that there are a few at the head of the state who clearly have no economic sense about the film industry, and are willing to squander millions of dollars in revenue and taxes due to complete and ignorant bias and/or ill education. I’m not quite sure why these folks would vote against an incentive plan, but something tells me there’s special interest at hand, as opposed to fiscal responsibility.
That is all
-Jamie
