By David Morton
Published in Orlando Sentinel
July 27, 2025 at 5:30 AM ET

Forty years ago, Florida was home to the third-largest film and television production industry in the U.S., behind only New York and California. Then-Gov. Bob Graham predicted, “By the year 2000, Florida will surpass Hollywood as a filmmaking center.” Graham was a lifelong movie buff and passionate supporter of Florida’s film industry, who even worked as a gaffer on the set of “Stick” (1983), directed by his friend Burt Reynolds. As governor, Graham took regular “official state missions to California” to convince studio executives to leave Hollywood behind and shoot in the Sunshine State.

Central Florida’s big break came when John Schlesinger’s “Honky Tonk Freeway” (1981) crashed through Mount Dora and the producers asked the town to paint itself pink and blow up portions of Interstate 75. Although it was a box-office bomb, it recouped only $2 million out of its $20 million budget, and much of that money was spent locally. Soon afterward, “Jaws 3D” (1983) inexplicably terrorized SeaWorld. Despite being critically panned (it currently has a whopping 10% on Rotten Tomatoes), it was a boon for local tourism. This was followed by “D.A.R.Y.L.” (1985), which spent much of its $10 million budget here in Orlando.

By 1986, Disney broke ground on Disney-MGM Studios, which would have an animation studio and live soundstages. The following year, Universal Studios followed suit and kid-favorite Nickelodeon chose Orlando as its official home for “the first kids’ network.” Before Disney and Universal arrived, Central Florida was home to 2,400 television commercials and 18 corporate films with a combined budget of $95.6 million per year.

In 1989, Ron Howard’s “Parenthood,” starring Steve Martin, became the first big-budget film to shoot on the Universal Studios Orlando backlot. Some of the last of Disney’s 2D animated films were brought to life at the Disney-MGM animation studio. Meanwhile, Lutz became home to Tim Burton’s “Edward Scissorhands” (1990) and Michael J. Fox had a court-ordered stopover in Micanopy in “Doc Hollywood” (1991). Orlando Mayor Bill Frederick even volunteered Orlando City Hall for demolition in Richard Donner’s “Lethal Weapon 3” (1992) and even made a short cameo as captain of the bomb squad.

During its heyday in the 1990s and 2000s, Central Florida would become home to many iconic movies and TV shows, spotlighting the Space Coast (“Apollo 13”) and Orlando’s backroads and woodlands (“Monster”) in a way few other locations could match.

The stake to the heart for Florida’s production industry came in 2016 went the state Legislature voted to strike down a set of tax incentive initiatives that started under Graham in the 1980s. Since then, the Georgia peach logo has been mockingly stamped across the end credits of productions that should have been “Filmed in Florida.” Recently, Marvel Studios has left Atlanta for London, and the California film industry has been rocked by labor unrest, wildfires and the rising cost of living. Brad Pitt’s pit stop in Daytona in “F1” (2025) is a promising sign of what Central Florida can offer big-budget producers as well.

The moment is right, and Central Florida has a proven track record as a production hub, with the infrastructure and talent ready for its big break. The films showcased at the Florida Film Festival are an excellent example of how artful and heartfelt stories can be made on a shoestring budget. With 2026’s governor’s race just around the corner, the question is whether Florida can find a leader with the same enthusiasm and passion for the movie industry as Bob Graham.

David Morton is a lecturer in the film and history departments at UCF.
Published in Orlando Sentinel
July 27, 2025 at 5:30 AM ET