Peter SchorschLast week we reported that after years of legislative inertia and ostensibly “principled” opposition from some of the Capitol lobbying corps more ideological quarters have combined to let an important public policy goal languish in the Legislature, good work to ensure that Florida invests in its indigenous entertainment industry is finally getting some traction in Tallahassee.
Up until now largely neglected in the corridors of Capitol, Florida’s entertainment industry is exactly the kind of endeavor state lawmakers should be supportive of: an expanding, tourism-promoting sector that creates high-paying jobs and allows Florida to exhibit its natural beauty and diversity before viewers across the world.
It appears Sen. Nancy Detert’s bill specific to the film industry is unlikely to pass on its own this Session, since Senate Appropriations does not list her SB 1046 on the agenda for its final meeting on Tuesday.
But there is a way forward.
Now, is Detert’s bill perfect? No. It doesn’t go far enough in an arena best suited to a comprehensive solution.
As of now, it doesn’t include the essential Qualified Television Revolving Loan Program — or QTV — we wrote about last week, which would provide a much-needed boost to the rich potential of television productions produced in Florida. That would create another, lasting stream of self-sustaining incentives by which Florida could sustain years on end of productive activity as opposed to one-off movies.
But there is a way forward.
As it happens, QTV could still make its way into law by way of an amendatory move. Rep. Chris Latvala has a bill circulating, HB 237, that make for a picture-perfect combination to the Rep. Mike Miller-sponsored companion to Detert’s Senate vehicle.
In one felt swoop, the political equity inherent in QTV loans — an “innovative plan that would give Florida a competitive advantage in the entertainment industry” according to Academy Award nominee Brunson Green in testimony at the Capitol — could well deliver Detert’s bill the boost it needs to get across the threshold that has eluded her and her beloved film industry and strike a balance between film and TV that would help create viable paths forward for both.
These are the questions we need to ask and the conversation we deserve when it comes to entertainment incentives.
Let’s try something rather than do nothing as a state this Session. Let’s hope that lawmakers consider these three bills as a totality, with a clear mind and a practical spirit that gives members latitude to be ambitious about lending real momentum to Florida’s burgeoning creative class who — with a kick start in the form of QTV loans and other policy innovations — could start to build a serious critical mass to attract a permanent industry presence here.
If they do, there’s little doubt that progress will continue both in the Legislature and in Florida’s film and television industry.
