Film and digital media productions supported by Tampa’s local film commission accounted for more than $12.2 million in local spending during the first three quarters of fiscal 2026, a nine-month stretch that also brought thousands of temporary production jobs and hotel stays to the Tampa Bay region.
The reported activity comes as Tampa City Council prepares to consider another $100,000 contribution Thursday, Nov. 5, continuing a partnership that began in 2015 with the Tampa Hillsborough Film and Digital Media Commission — better known as Film Tampa Bay, the film division of regional tourism organization Visit Tampa Bay. The proposed agreement would cover another year of marketing and promotional services during fiscal 2027, maintaining the city’s existing support for the commission.
During those nine months, the commission recorded 6,038 hotel room nights, processed 232 filming permits and reported 4,059 temporary local hires, reflecting the hotel demand and employment associated with productions working across Hillsborough County. Those hires represent temporary production positions rather than permanent jobs, while the $12.2 million reflects spending by productions the commission helped support.
Tampa has contributed $100,000 annually since fiscal 2025, when it increased the amount from $80,000, according to city budget records. The proposed renewal would preserve that funding for a third consecutive year, following a partnership that has continued for more than a decade.
Florida’s statewide film-production tax credit program expired in 2016, leaving local governments with their own financial incentives to attract filmmakers considering competing locations. In Hillsborough County, that means a separate marketing grant covering up to 10% of eligible project value, capped at $150,000, while neighboring Pinellas County offers rebates reaching 20% under certain conditions.
Those incentives are separate from Tampa’s annual contribution to Film Tampa Bay, whose staff help visiting filmmakers scout locations, arrange permits and connect with local crews and vendors throughout Hillsborough County. Their work can also involve securing access to public property, coordinating temporary street closures and arranging police assistance when a production requires it.
Some of those locations appear in the commission’s official filmography, including Woodlawn Cemetery and Plymouth Playground Park, where Brittany Goodwin filmed the 2026 thriller An Unstable Marriage. Lindsay Hartley’s Lifetime production Don’t Breathe a Word also used the University of Tampa’s hospital simulation facility for a scene filmed in 2025, while other titles listed by the commission include Savage, Be My Valentine and Demon Queen Pinball Machine.
The city’s agenda materials do not identify which productions accounted for the $12.2 million in local spending or how much of that activity resulted directly from Film Tampa Bay’s assistance.