Written by new-contact on Jan 29, 2015. Posted in On Location

Florida studio developers eye Miami-Dade site for film stages and water tanks

Developers in Florida are looking at a site in Miami-Dade County to build a new large-scale studio. The facility would offer nearly a dozen sound stages and multiple water tanks, and could help the city attract more productions like Miami-filmed spy drama Burn Notice, which ended in 2013.

Plans for Miami Ocean Studios include local infrastructure improvements to roads and sewers worth USD 30 million, according to Miami Today. The studio facilities themselves will be built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane.

Construction is planned to begin within the next year and the developers are hoping that by that time Florida’s filming incentive will have been given a much-needed boost.

“It’s our general belief that incentives offered by the State of Florida and, possibly, Miami-Dade County, are extremely important,” said Rodolfo Paiz of Miami Ocean Studios in comments to the outlet.

“When we give somebody a dollar and they come back and spend five [dollars], that looks like great business to me, and something we want to promote as much as possible.”

Florida offers a 20% filming incentive but the programme is essentially defunct as all the funds were fully allocated several years ago. Political attempts to increase the fund have repeatedly failed and as a result the state has had trouble attracting high-profile film and TV productions.

Miami Oceans Studios would offer nearly a dozen sound stages and multiple water tanks.

Regional authorities have been responding to the situation by offering local incentives in bids to attract large productions. An authority in Tampa recently put together a USD 100,000 incentive in an effort to bring Tim Burton’s new film to the region.

Another, separate studio facility is in fact already in development in Miami. The Miami Entertainment Complex will be an adapted studio that will offer twin 15,000 sq ft sound stages and will be managed by EUE/Screen Gems Studios for a period of ten years.