On June 1, the state legislature will meet in a special session to hammer out spending and budget details for the coming fiscal year and filmmaking communities across Florida are making their voices heard in an effort to ensure that proper attention, and eventually resources, is given to supporting the state’s filmmaking industry. To this end, the nonprofit Film Florida has been circulating a petition calling state legislators to keep the state’s film incentives and media tax credit programs funded and operational. Locally, Sarasota County Film and Entertainment Office Director Jeanne Corcoran has been spreading the word in an attempt to lend Sarasota’s support to the endeavor.

“What we’re trying to do is garner support in large numbers from people who are directly impacted by the industry - people whose jobs are affected,” said Corcoran, “so that our legislators know that the people who put them in office and keep them in office are the very people signing the petition.” Thousands of people are directly employed by the film industry in the state, she added, and the number climbs to the tens of thousands when related industries are taken into account. Being able to offer inventives plays a crucial role in bringing projects to the area and keeping that industry going.

Not being able to offer film incentives doesn’t mean that those productions won’t happen, according to Corcoran, but that they will happen in a different community, bringing the jobs and economic benefits along with them. In the absence of a solution, the area will experience “a steady bleed-out of those people who have to go other places to earn a steady living,” according to Corcoran, listing Georgia and Louisiana as top competitors.

Corcoran hopes to see film incentives bundled into an economic development or tourism bill, someplace that would be a good fit for its nature and money-making possibilities. Previously, film incentives have gone before the legislature as part of apportionments, placing the request for funding against social goods such as elderly care and limiting its chances. $50 million would be a “rock-solid” number, according to Corcoran, but before the special session ends, she says there’s no way of knowing.

“If it does not get rolled in somewhere, then we’re going to continue to be selling from an empty wagon,” said Corcoran, before adding that regardless of the outcome, the film incentive program and the Commission would find ways to continue to function and retain the “skeleton” and support necessary for when funding does eventually come. “We’re all waiting on tenterhooks to find out where we go from here.”

The special session where the issue will be decided is June 1. Click the link below to view the petition. 

View the petition here

Realtor Richard Moody joined the Bradenton office of RE/MAX Alliance Group. He has spent 28 years working in area real estate and specializes in new home sales, buying assistance and re-establishing credit. Moody has been awarded several sales and marketing awards from the Volusia Home Builders Association. 

RE/MAX Alliance Group

Kaitlyn Fusco has joined Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium as the new public relations manager. Fusco will be the primary contact for media from the local to international level. She is an award-winning writer with experience in scientific writing. Fusco previously served as content director at True Real Estate. 

Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium

It looks like I am playing, but I am developing motor skills, eye-hand coordination and teamwork. Building with blocks helps me understand about planning, patterning and mapping, while also seeing how size and matter may affect the balance and integrity of structures and material. I am learning math concepts, such as quantity, size and basic geometry skills, as well as science concepts such as spatial awareness. Cooperation and communication are important social skills I practice, especially when building with others, because sometimes we may have plans that don’t quite work together. My vocabulary expands as I learn new concepts and terms, and communicate with my partner. With all of these skills and experiences, I may decide to be an architect or engineer when I grow up. 

The early childhood education programs provided by Forty Carrots Family Center are designed to provide children with the skills they need start off on the right foot. Experiencing the world through exploration and play encourages healthy brain development, critical social skills and responsible behavior. By providing opportunities for children to play alongside their parents through programs like Partners in Play, Forty Carrots nurtures the whole family for a lifetime of learning and positive relationships. 

For more information about the programs and early childhood learning opportunities at Forty Carrots, contact Parenting Program Director, Christina Rodrigues.

Forty Carrots Family Center is a 2015 SRQ Story Project partner and the featured non-profit organization this May. To learn more about the numerous education and outreach programs provided by Forty Carrots, visit them online at FortyCarrots.org or call (941) 365-7716.