Florida Production Guide 2026: Permits, Incentives & Markets

By David Wells, President and Founder, Moving Picture Rental — Updated April 2026

Moving Picture Rental crew and production equipment on location in South Florida

I started running sets in South Florida in the late 1980s — first as a gaffer, then building out rental inventory, then eventually founding Moving Picture Rental in 1987. That means I have watched Florida’s film economy from every angle: on the grip truck, behind the counter, and now from the producer’s seat. I have permitted shoots in four counties in the same week, kept equipment rolling through two-hour afternoon lightning holds, and helped visiting productions from New York to Los Angeles figure out how to make Florida work without paying a costly “stupid tax” for not knowing the landscape.

This Florida production guide is built from that experience — the resource I wish existed when I was starting out. Use it as your pre-production reference before any Florida shoot.

1. Why Florida Is a Top Production Market

Any complete Florida production guide starts here: Florida has been a working production market since the silent era, and it still earns its place in the conversation for one straightforward reason: it delivers more location diversity per mile than almost any other state in the country. Within two hours of Miami you can shoot Art Deco beach architecture, Everglades backcountry, South Beach nightlife, Brickell financial towers, and the Florida Keys. Move north and you add Central Florida’s theme park infrastructure, Orlando’s growing studio base, and Tampa’s Ybor City alongside a waterfront that doubles for half of Latin America. Head southwest and the Naples-to-Fort Myers corridor gives you Gulf Coast beaches, cypress swamps, and luxury estate inventory that the lifestyle and commercial market runs on.

Beyond locations, five structural advantages make Florida work for productions at every budget level:

• No state income tax. Crew who work extended Florida productions keep more of their day rate — a real recruiting advantage when pulling talent from California or New York.
• A long shooting window. Florida’s dry season runs roughly November through April, delivering consistent exterior conditions that no northern market can match for five months straight.
• Active county-level film incentive programs. Seven Florida counties now operate incentive programs with rebates reaching 30%. See Section 4 for the full breakdown.
• Unmatched visual doubling range. Florida regularly doubles for Cuba, the Caribbean, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the American South. Its architectural and environmental range is used constantly in projects that never mention Florida in their credits.
• Deep production infrastructure. Three-plus decades of working commercial, feature, and TV production has built a genuine below-the-line crew base in South Florida and Orlando. You are not training your crew on the job here.

2. Market-by-Market Breakdown

Florida is not one production market — it is five distinct markets, each with its own permit office, crew culture, incentive structure, and location character. This Florida production guide breaks down each market so you know exactly what to expect before locking your schedule.

Miami and Miami-Dade County

Best for: High-end commercials, music videos, fashion and beauty campaigns, features requiring Latin American or Caribbean doubles, luxury brand content, and reality TV.

Miami is Florida’s most internationally recognized production market and its most complex to navigate. FilMiami handles permitting for Miami-Dade County and Miami Beach, but the city’s neighborhoods each carry their own logistical demands. Wynwood requires managing pedestrian flow around murals and gallery foot traffic. South Beach operates under strict noise ordinances and serious peak-season crowd management. Downtown Brickell means parking and loading coordination with building management — not something you want to be sorting out on call day.

Miami-Dade’s High Impact Film Fund Program (HIFFP) now offers the largest local film incentive in the state: a cash rebate of up to 20% for qualifying productions with a minimum $5M local spend. At least 70% of your vendors must be Miami-Dade registered — which means your equipment vendor’s local presence is not optional, it is a condition of eligibility. Full Miami-Dade incentive breakdown.

Key contact: FilMiami — filmiami.org | (305) 375-3288

Fort Lauderdale and Broward County

Best for: Commercial productions, marine and yachting shoots, luxury lifestyle content, corporate video, documentaries, reality TV, and productions that want South Florida infrastructure without Miami’s congestion.

Fort Lauderdale sits 30 minutes north of Miami and offers most of the same visual range with notably simpler permitting. Film Lauderdale handles permitting and is widely regarded as one of the most producer-friendly film offices in the state. Standard permit minimum notice is 24 hours — the fastest turnaround in South Florida.

Broward County also operates Florida’s most aggressive local incentive structure, with rebates reaching 30% for qualifying multi-project commitments. For productions planning multiple Florida shoots or a scripted series, Broward’s programs are the strongest in the state. Location assets include the New River, Las Olas Boulevard, the “Venice of America” canal system, 23 miles of Atlantic beach, and world-class marina infrastructure. Full Broward incentive breakdown.

Key contact: Film Lauderdale — filmlauderdale.org | (954) 767-2687

Orlando and Orange County

Best for: Theme park-adjacent productions, family and kids content, scripted series, commercials, streaming originals, and anything requiring access to Florida’s growing studio facility infrastructure.

Orlando has been on a production renaissance since 2025. Orange County committed $25 million over five years to rebuild its incentive program, and applications opened in March 2026 under newly appointed administrator Jen Pennypacker. The program offers a 20% cash rebate capped at $1M for TV and film with the lowest entry threshold for a 20% rebate in Florida — just $400,000 in qualifying local spend. Miami-Dade’s comparable program requires $5 million. For mid-budget productions, Orange County is the best rebate-to-threshold ratio in the state. Full Orange County incentive breakdown.

Key contact: Metro Orlando Film & Television Commission — filmorlando.com | (407) 446-0201

Tampa and Hillsborough County

Best for: Sports productions, corporate and industrial video, commercials, documentary, reality TV, and productions that need a major-city visual palette without South Florida pricing.

Tampa’s waterfront, Ybor City — one of the most architecturally distinct historic neighborhoods in the South — and quick access to Clearwater and St. Pete beaches give it strong location diversity. Film Tampa Bay administers Hillsborough County’s marketing grant, offering up to 10% capped at $150,000 for productions that feature the Tampa Bay area in their content or marketing. Moving Picture Rental operates a Tampa location serving the full Bay Area market.

Key contact: Film Tampa Bay — filmtampabay.com | (813) 223-2752

Fort Myers and Southwest Florida

Best for: Nature documentaries, Gulf Coast lifestyle productions, commercial photography, luxury resort content, and anything requiring tropical environments with a manageable permit process.

The corridor from Naples through Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and toward Sarasota is a growing market with exceptional visual assets: Gulf Coast beaches with famously clear, calm water; Corkscrew Swamp; Ten Thousand Islands; and a rapidly expanding inventory of luxury resort and residential locations for lifestyle production. Fewer productions competing for permits means faster turnaround and better location availability.

Key contact: Lee County Film Commission — leegov.com/film | Collier County Film Office — (239) 252-2384

Palm Beach County

Best for: Luxury lifestyle, fashion, real estate, sports productions (golf, polo, offshore racing), documentary, and commercial work requiring upscale estate and resort locations.

Palm Beach County generated a record $260 million in production spend in 2025. The Palm Beach County Film & Television Commission provides free one-stop permitting across 50-plus municipalities. Standard permits require at least 3 business days. The Town of Palm Beach operates separately with strict requirements and a filming blackout period November 15 through April 15. Palm Beach County does not currently offer a direct rebate, but all productions qualify for the statewide Production Sales Tax Exemption. Full Palm Beach permit guide.

Key contact: Palm Beach County Film & TV Commission — pbfilm.com | (561) 233-1000

3. Florida Production Guide to Film Permits: What You Need and Where to Get Them

Florida does not have a single statewide film permit. Every county — and often every municipality within it — runs its own process. Here is this production guide’s framework for the six major Florida markets, followed by the special location categories that require separate handling.

Special Location Permits

Several Florida location categories require permits entirely separate from the county film office:

• Everglades National Park: Commercial filming requires a Special Use Permit from the National Park Service. This is not processed through Recreation.gov — it must be submitted directly by email or mail. Build in 30 or more days of lead time. Do not find this out two weeks before your shoot.
• Florida State Parks (DEP): Contact the Florida Department of Environmental Protection directly. Each park has its own coordinator and its own timeline.
• FAA airspace and commercial drone work: All commercial drone operations require FAA Part 107 certification. Miami-Dade and Broward both require additional insurance — typically $2M — for drone work in populated areas.
• Port of Palm Beach: Separate port permit required, plus a certified security escort at production expense during filming.
• Marine and coastal waterway locations: Productions filming from or near watercraft in Florida navigable waters may need to file a U.S. Coast Guard notice of filming.

4. Florida Film Incentives and the Production Sales Tax Exemption

Florida’s statewide film tax credit expired in 2016 and has not been renewed at the state level — the 2026 Regular Legislative Session ended March 13, 2026 without advancing any new film production incentive legislation. What replaced the statewide credit is a county-by-county patchwork of programs — and no Florida production guide is complete without walking through each one. More complex to navigate, but with some genuinely strong incentives for productions that qualify. See our full county-by-county comparison for 2026.

The Statewide Production Sales Tax Exemption

Under Florida Statute § 212.08, qualifying production companies are exempt from Florida’s 6% sales tax on purchases and rentals of production equipment — including cameras, cine lenses, grip and lighting, and expendables. This applies statewide, is not capped, and stacks on top of any county rebate. It is the most broadly applicable Florida production benefit and the one most frequently overlooked by visiting productions.

To claim the exemption your production company must be registered in Florida and present a valid Florida Annual Resale Certificate or production-specific exemption certificate to vendors at the time of rental. Moving Picture Rental works with productions on this regularly — mention it when booking and we will walk you through the process.

County Program Summary (2026)

For deep-dive breakdowns of each major program: Broward County Film Incentives 2026, Miami-Dade Film Incentives 2026, and Orange County Film Incentives 2026.

5. Florida Production Guide: Equipment Logistics for Multi-City Shoots

Every Florida production guide worth reading covers this: the most expensive mistake visiting productions make in Florida is treating it like a single-market shoot. A five-day production with two days in Miami, one in Orlando, and two in Tampa involves three different permit offices, three different crew bases, and three different traffic and loading realities. The multi-vendor shuffle — piecing together equipment from different rental houses in each city — compounds every one of those variables and introduces risk at every seam.

What a Statewide Vendor Changes

When your equipment vendor has physical offices in every market your production touches, the logistics math shifts fundamentally:

• Single COI, single invoice. One certificate of insurance covering the full production period regardless of how many Florida cities are involved. One invoice for accounting. One phone call for your PM instead of four.
• Coordinated equipment transfers. Instead of returning gear to a Miami vendor and picking up from an Orlando vendor — with the inevitable gap day — a single vendor coordinates the transfer between offices as part of your rental package.
• No multi-vendor inventory reconciliation. End-of-show inventory disputes are one of the most expensive and time-consuming headaches in production accounting. They almost always trace back to multi-vendor shoots. One vendor, one manifest.
• Crew continuity across markets. When your gaffer knows our Fort Lauderdale inventory and your AC has prepped our cameras, they are already proficient on your gear when you move into Orlando on day three.
• Incentive qualification. Consolidating your equipment and crew spend with a single Florida-based vendor maximizes the dollars that count toward local vendor thresholds in incentive programs.

What to Give Your Rental Agent at Booking

For multi-city Florida productions, the more complete your information at booking, the smoother every pickup and transfer will be. Give your agent:

• Full shoot schedule with cities and dates
• Camera and cine lens wishlist — primary and backup
• Camera support requirements
• Grip truck size — 1-ton, 3-ton, 5-ton, or 10-ton
• Lighting package specifics — what fixtures, how many units
• Power requirements — shore power available or generator needed?
• Delivery address for each shoot day
• COI requirements — county-specific language if you have it from the permit office

6. Florida Production Guide to Crew: How the Community Works

Moving Picture Rental crew and production equipment on location in South Florida

One thing this Florida production guide hears consistently from visiting producers is surprise at the depth of local talent. Florida’s below-the-line crew base is larger and more experienced than most visiting productions expect — and it operates differently from LA and New York in ways that directly affect your budget and your shoot day.

What Florida Does Well

• Camera departments: Miami and Fort Lauderdale have a strong bench of experienced ACs and DPs built over decades of commercial and feature work. Do not assume you need to fly everyone in.
• Grip and electric: Florida’s commercial production volume has produced a solid G&E community in South Florida. Orlando’s studio infrastructure has built a strong G&E base there as well. Our crew network covers all five markets.
• Production coordinators and PMs: The Florida production management community is experienced with the specific complexities of the state — permits, weather contingencies, multi-city logistics.
• Location scouting: Florida location scouts have relationships with permit offices and property owners that a visiting scout will spend weeks building from scratch.

What Is Different from LA and New York

• Rate structure. Florida below-the-line rates run generally 15 to 25% lower than comparable LA or NY rates. This is one of the genuine budget advantages of Florida production.
• Union landscape. Florida is a right-to-work state. Union and non-union productions both operate here. IATSE Local 477 covers Miami and South Florida; Local 631 covers Orlando. Many experienced Florida crew members work both contexts depending on the project.
• Specialty roles. Florida does not have a deep bench in every specialty discipline. Specific stunt coordinators, VFX supervisors, or certain camera technicians may need to come from LA or Atlanta. Plan this early — do not find out you need to fly someone in during pre-production week.
• Relationships matter here. Florida’s production community is smaller and more interconnected than LA’s. A rental house with 35-plus years in the market — and real relationships with the working crew — is a genuine resource for sourcing, not just a gear provider.

MPR maintains a vetted database of Florida professionals with credits across feature film, commercials, TV, music video, documentary, and still photography. If you need crew in any Florida market, call us before posting anywhere else.

7. Florida Production Guide: Seasonal Considerations and On-Set Safety

Florida’s weather is the most discussed variable in production planning and the most frequently misunderstood by visiting crews. Any honest Florida production guide has to address it head-on, because getting the seasonal calendar wrong is one of the most common and costly mistakes visiting productions make.

Lightning: The Most Serious On-Set Safety Risk in Florida

Florida leads the United States in lightning fatalities. This is not a footnote — it is the on-set safety priority for any Florida exterior production. The standard protocol is the 30/30 Rule: if thunder follows a lightning strike within 30 seconds, suspend all exterior operations and move crew to hard cover immediately. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before resuming exterior work.

Use real-time lightning tracking apps — WeatherBug Spark and WeatherSTEM are both field-tested — to monitor strike proximity to your set. Summer lightning holds of 45 to 90 minutes are routine. Schedule your day with this buffer in mind, not as an afterthought on a tight call sheet.

Heat, Humidity, and Gear Acclimation

Summer heat index values routinely exceed 100°F across South Florida. Moving equipment from an air-conditioned vehicle or case into 90°F-plus humidity causes immediate condensation inside lenses and on sensors if cases are opened too quickly. Leave sealed cases in the ambient air for 15 to 20 minutes before opening. I have seen lenses fog so badly in South Florida heat that the production lost an entire setup. Fifteen minutes of patience solves this every time.

Beach and Coastal Shoots: Salt, Wind, and Power

Coastal Florida shoots introduce three specific technical challenges. Salt spray is corrosive to lens coatings and electronic contacts — add optical flat filters to protect front lens elements and never wipe a salty surface with a dry cloth. Wind shifts unpredictably on Florida beaches, so order extra shot bags and heavy-duty crank stands rather than relying on standard sandbags. And shore power is rarely available on Florida beach locations.

For beach and remote location power, here are our recommendations:

• Honda EU3000is Generator: 3,000W of clean inverter power at 57dB — the industry standard for beach dialogue scenes. Handles monitors, M18 HMI, and LED panels simultaneously.
• Honda EU2000i: 46 lbs, 59dB, 2,000W. The go-to for documentary run-and-gun and Everglades work where portability matters as much as wattage.
• EcoFlow DELTA Pro (3,600Wh): Zero emissions, completely silent. Our NPS-compliant choice for Everglades, bird rookery, and any noise-restricted or environmentally sensitive location where gas generators are prohibited. Also ideal for DIT stations and LED panels anywhere on location.

For the full location-by-location gear checklist covering urban, Everglades, and coastal protocols: Florida Film Location Checklist: Permits, Gear & Safety.

8. Your Florida Production Guide Partner: Moving Picture Rental’s Statewide Network

Moving Picture Rental was founded in 1987 providing location sound equipment, video assist, and walkie-talkie rentals for feature films, TV commercials, and music videos. I started as a gaffer and built the company from the ground up with the belief that Florida productions deserved the same level of full-service support that LA and New York had taken for granted. Over nearly four decades we have expanded into every equipment category and opened offices across the state — specifically because Florida productions need a vendor who can follow them from market to market without losing continuity or quality.

For any Florida production guide to be useful, it needs a reliable on-the-ground partner. We are the only Florida rental house offering digital cinema cameras, cine lenses, camera support, grip trucks from 1-ton to 10-ton, and full grip and lighting packages — all under one roof, in multiple markets simultaneously.

What We Provide Statewide

• Cinema cameras — ARRI, Sony, Canon digital cinema systems prepped and ready for production
• Cine lenses — spherical and anamorphic packages, matched sets, and high-end glass available across all markets
• Camera support — tripods, sliders, gimbals, fluid heads, and rigging for every shooting style
• Grip trucks from 1-ton to 10-ton — Sprinter vans through full 10-ton packages, with or without driver
• Grip and lighting packages — SkyPanel S60/S120, Aputure, Astera, HMIs, tungsten, modifiers, diffusion, and all grip hardware
• Power — Honda EU3000is, Honda EU2000i, and EcoFlow DELTA Pro for remote, beach, and noise-restricted locations
• Production supplies — expendables, gels, backdrops, gaff tape, grip accessories, walkie-talkies, and on-set support gear
• Still photography — continuous lighting, high-CRI LED packages, and studio grip gear for commercial photography productions
• Crew — vetted DPs, ACs, gaffers, grips, sound mixers, PAs, and production coordinators across all five markets
• Delivery — 7 days a week, statewide, to your set or studio

Florida Production Guide: Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does Florida have a statewide film tax credit?
A: No. Florida’s statewide film tax credit expired in 2016 and has not been renewed. Seven counties now operate their own local incentive programs, and the statewide Production Sales Tax Exemption (Florida Statute § 212.08) applies to all qualifying productions regardless of county.

Q: Which Florida county has the best film incentive in 2026?
A: Broward County offers Florida’s highest rebate at 30% through the Multiple Project Guarantee for multi-project commitments. Miami-Dade offers the largest single-project rebate pool — up to 20% on a $5M-plus local spend. Orange County (Orlando) offers the lowest entry point for a 20% rebate at just $400,000 in qualifying local spend, making it the best option for mid-budget productions.

Q: How long does it take to get a film permit in Florida?
A: It varies by county. Broward County can process permits in as little as 24 hours for standard shoots. Miami-Dade typically requires 5 to 10 business days. Palm Beach County and Orlando require a minimum of 3 business days. Everglades National Park requires 30 or more days. Always build time for COI language exchange into your permit timeline regardless of county.

Q: Can one vendor handle a multi-city Florida shoot?
A: Yes. Moving Picture Rental operates offices in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Fort Myers, and Tampa. We handle equipment transfers between cities, provide a single invoice and master COI, and maintain crew continuity across your entire Florida production schedule.

Q: What is the best time of year to film in Florida?
A: November through April is Florida’s dry season and the optimal exterior shooting window — consistent sunshine, low humidity, temperatures between 65°F and 82°F, and minimal afternoon thunderstorm risk. Summer production is viable with built-in weather contingency days and strong heat management protocols on set.

Q: Does Florida equipment rental qualify for a sales tax exemption?
A: Yes. Under Florida Statute § 212.08, qualifying production companies are exempt from Florida’s 6% sales tax on equipment rentals including cameras, lenses, grip, lighting, and production supplies. Your production company must be Florida-registered and present a valid exemption certificate at the time of rental. Moving Picture Rental can walk you through the process when you book.

Q: Is Florida a union state for film production?
A: Florida is a right-to-work state. Both union (IATSE) and non-union productions operate here. IATSE Local 477 covers Miami and South Florida; Local 631 covers Orlando. Most experienced Florida crew members work in both contexts depending on the production.

Q: What power equipment do I need for a beach or remote location shoot in Florida?
A: Beach and remote Florida locations require portable generator power — cable runs on wet sand or in the Everglades create serious moisture hazards. The Honda EU3000is handles most beach lighting needs. The Honda EU2000i is the choice for lightweight documentary and swamp work. The EcoFlow DELTA Pro is the silent, zero-emission solution for protected natural areas and noise-restricted zones. All three are available statewide from Moving Picture Rental.

Q: Do I need separate permits for drone filming in Florida?
A: Yes. All commercial drone operations in Florida require FAA Part 107 certification. Miami-Dade and Broward County both require additional insurance coverage — typically $2 million in liability — for drone work near populated areas. Contact the relevant county film office before scheduling any aerial filming to confirm current jurisdiction-specific requirements.

More Florida Production Resources

• Florida Film Incentives 2026: County-by-County Comparison
• Broward County Film Incentives 2026: Florida’s Most Competitive Programs
• Miami-Dade Film Incentives 2026: What Producers Need to Know
• Orange County Film Incentives 2026: Orlando’s New Rebate Program
• Palm Beach County Film Permit: 2026 Producer’s Guide
• Florida Film Location Checklist: Permits, Gear & Safety
• The Legal Ins and Outs of Filming in Florida
• The Logistics Tax: Why Multi-Vendor Rentals Are Killing Your Production Budget
• Shipping Film Gear Costs: 5 Ways to Save Your Budget
• Moving Picture Rental Case Studies

Last updated: April 8, 2026. This Florida production guide is Florida’s most comprehensive production guide — reviewed and updated at least twice per year. Bookmark it and check back before your next Florida production.

Disclaimer: The permit requirements, incentive program details, rebate percentages, and application procedures referenced in this guide are based on publicly available information from the administering county film commissions at the time of publication. These programs are subject to change at any time. Moving Picture Rental is not responsible for the accuracy of third-party program information and recommends contacting the relevant film commission directly to confirm current details before making production decisions. This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or tax advice.

About The Author

David Wells - Moving Picture President

David Wells is the President of Moving Picture Rental, where he has the privilege of wearing many hats -- Producer, Director, Cameraman, and Technologist. An entrepreneur at heart, Wells injects creativity and innovation into every role and helps guide producers and filmmakers with their projects. Call David Wells and his team, and they’ll show you how to make your production an outstanding one.