Originally posted on the WKMG-TV Channel 6 Orlando website from Mike Holfeld:
The push for Florida tax incentives for Hollywood, TV and digital productions earned another victory in Tallahassee on Thursday. SB 1046, sponsored by State Sen. Nancy Deter of Sarasota, was unanimously approved by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation Tourism and Economic Development. The bill now heads to the Senate Appropriations committee.
The approval comes just days after the House Finance tax committee passed the House version of that measure sponsored by freshman state Rep. Mike Miller of Winter Park. The committee approved Miller’s bill by a 12-5 vote. That bill now goes to the House Economic Affairs Committee.
In an interview prior to Tuesday’s vote, Miller countered critics who called the incentive plan a “Hollywood handout.”
“This is not a Hollywood bill this is a small businessman small businesswoman bill,” Miller said.
An estimated 16,000 professionals across the state depend on TV and film projects shot in Florida.
John Lux COO of Orlando based IDEAS a state of the art production facility said Thursday that there is a “long way to go.”
Lux is encouraged by the progress the bill has made saying Thursday a similar bill didn’t make it this far during last year’s session.
“We continue to stay focused on our message that the bills filed on behalf of the film, TV and digital media industry are job creation bills for Floridians and we hope to have a positive outcome at the end of the legislative session,” Lux said.
The bill must pass the full Senate and full House by the end of the 60-day legislative session. The session ends May 1.
Click HERE to read the article on the WKMG-TV Channel 6 Orlando website.