Broward County Commission Regular Meeting
Director's Name: Steven Geller
Department: County Commission
Information
Requested Action
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MOTION TO WAIVE Broward County Procurement Code based on a Board determination that doing so is in the best interest of the County, and authorize the County Administrator to negotiate, approve, and execute an agreement and any subsequent amendments thereto with a qualified vendor to provide consulting and other services to bring film, television, and other media productions to Broward County, in an aggregate amount up to $275,000, subject to review of the agreement and any subsequent amendments for legal sufficiency by the Office of the County Attorney; and authorize the County Administrator to take all necessary administrative and budgetary actions to effectuate the agreement and any subsequent amendments thereto. (Mayor Geller)
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Why Action is Necessary
Pursuant to Section 21.6 of the Broward County Procurement Code, Board action is required to waive any or all provisions of the Procurement Code.
What Action Accomplishes
Waives the Broward County Procurement Code and authorizes the County Administrator to negotiate, approve, and execute an agreement (and any amendments), to provide consulting and other services to bring film, television, and other media productions to Broward County.
Is this Action Goal Related
No
Previous Action Taken
Summary Explanation/Background
Florida has invested in the film and television industry for 100+ years and the return has been overwhelmingly positive. Based on data from Film Florida, a not-for-profit entertainment production trade association run by volunteer members that represent all sectors of Florida’s film, TV & digital media/tech production industry, when an average studio feature film or television series films in a location, they spend $20 million in the local community while hiring 1,500 Floridians. One single production can put $150,000 per day directly in the pockets of citizens and small businesses. This also generates significant local and state tax revenues.
Whether through creating high-wage, high-tech jobs; or enhancing tourism and overall economic development or education, Florida’s film and television industry has been a lucrative investment for the state since the early 1900s.
According to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, in 2019, the average annual wage for a film and entertainment industry professional in Florida was $84,205, exceeding the state’s average annual wage for all industries by 62.7%.
In addition to the direct jobs in the industry, the film and television industry supports indirect jobs and wages for thousands of small businesses including caterers, electricians, dry cleaners, hotels, florists, hardware and lumber suppliers, security guards, and off-duty law enforcement officers.
Despite the benefits to the local economy from film and television production, data from Film Florida indicates that in recent years, Florida, including Broward County, has lost more than 70 major film and television projects that would have spent more than $1.3 billion in Florida, used 220,000 hotel room nights and provided 110,000 cast and crew jobs for Floridians. Florida is the only state in the Southeast without a program to compete for film and television projects, which puts us at a major competitive disadvantage.
The Board has recognized that developing and incentivizing film, television, and digital media production would bring more high-wage jobs to Broward County, accelerating Broward’s economic recovery and further diversifying our economy for the future. To that end, the Board has incorporated funding for the creation of a film office, establishing an incentive program, and production facility in the proposed Fiscal Year 2022 budget.
Broward County has received a proposal from Wanderlust Content Studio (WCS) to provide consulting and other services to develop the relationships, tools, and resources to bring film and other productions to Broward County. WCS are respected leaders in destination content, in both creative and business development strategies. Part of the WCS team to provide consulting services is Mr. Jon Huertas. Mr. Huertas, a former Air Force veteran, is an actor and producer known for his work on This is Us, Castle, and Generation Kill, among many more acting and producing credits.
The WCS proposal provides that Mr. Huertas, as part of the WCS team, will utilize his knowledge of production, his industry relationships and partnerships to advise Broward County and assist in encouraging Florida’s state government to reinstate a tax incentive program for Florida; attract partners in the film studio real estate markets to inspire possible ventures specifically focused on creating solid infrastructure for small to large scale productions; and develop new and visually compelling resources and materials needed to effectively communicate Broward’s value proposition, among other services. The WCS team also proposes to use these resources to lobby studios like Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, Viacom, and major independent studios to utilize Broward County as a possible satellite studio base and encourage them to consider Broward for their next projects.
In an effort to bring productions and the attendant economic benefits to Broward County, the County may be interested in the assistance of a consultant to provide such services.
If approved, this item waives the procurement code and authorizes the County Administrator to negotiate, approve and execute an agreement with a qualified vendor to provide consulting and other services to bring film, television and other media production to Broward County, with a maximum aggregate contract amount of $275,000.
Source of Additional Information
Fiscal Impact
Fiscal Impact/Cost Summary
Any agreement would have a fiscal impact of a maximum aggregate contract amount of $275,000, subject to negotiations.