Suncoast Working to Attract Movie Productions

The Suncoast area is striving to attract film productions despite the state’s lack of competitive tax incentives.

To combat this, Pinellas County is revamping its film incentive program starting October 2024.

Meanwhile, Florida Wild, a new western film starring Academy Award-winners Lee Majors and Mira Sorvino, showcases the state’s cinematic potential. Filmed in Myakka City and set for a 2025 release, local rancher and producer Mark Pentecost hopes it will inspire more productions to return to Florida.

This push follows Florida’s film industry decline since ending state incentives in 2016, with Film Florida estimating losses of over $2 billion in economic impact and 150,000 jobs over the past decade.

Okaloosa to Sink SS United States

Okaloosa County has signed an agreement to purchase the SS United States with plans to sink it and create the world’s largest artificial reef off the coast of Destin-Fort Walton Beach.

The historic ocean liner, which holds the record for the fastest Atlantic crossing, will cost up to $9 million to acquire, remediate, transport, and deploy. The project also includes a land-based museum dedicated to the ship.

The initiative is expected to have significant economic benefits. Ecologically, the artificial reef will create new habitats for marine life, potentially increasing fish populations and biodiversity.

Miami Named Rudest City in the U.S.

A new survey from language-learning site Preply ranked dozens of U.S. cities from most to least rude, with Miami taking the No. 1 spot, scoring 9.88 out of 10 on the rudeness scale.

The survey highlighted 15 different rude behaviors, with three standing out in Miami: lack of public awareness, loudness in shared spaces, and rudeness to service staff.

Tampa was ranked the third-rudest city, scoring 8.88.

Interestingly, neither Miami nor Tampa was ranked in the top 10 of the survey conducted in 2022. Jacksonville was ranked No. 12 in both 2022 and 2024.

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➤ Tallahassee: The state executed Loran Cole on Thursday at Florida State Prison. Cole was convicted of killing a college student and raping the student’s sister in Ocala National Forest. (More)

➤ Gov. Ron DeSantis awarded grants last week to Citrus County, Cross City, and Cedar Key for projects to complete critical infrastructure and strengthen rural economies. (See Details)

➤ Visit Florida announced last week it will request $100 million in state funding during the 2025 legislative session. The tourism marketing agency received $80 million this year. (More)

➤ New Smyrna Beach: Commissioners had the first reading of an ordinance last week to rezone a 1,618-acre site for a proposed residential and hotel complex, which some residents oppose. Discussion will continue at an Oct. 22 meeting. (See Video)

➤ University of Florida horticulture science professor Rob Ferl became the first NASA-sponsored customer to fly to space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket last week, bringing a plantlife experiment to study the effects of spaceflight on genes. (More)

➤ Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe counties: AT&T customers could experience service interruptions with 1,400 technicians on strike. (See Video)

➤ The 19th-ranked Miami Hurricanes beat the Florida Gators 47-17 in Gainesville on Saturday. New Miami quarterback Cam Ward tallied over 400 total yards and scored three touchdowns. (See Highlights)

➤ Tampa Bay Rays star rookie Junior Caminero continued his hot streak with this massive 429-foot blast to centerfield. (Watch Video)

➤ Former Florida Gators wide receiver and 2024 first-round pick Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery on Saturday. Pearsall was released from the hospital on Sunday. (More)

Yesterday’s Results: MLB | NASCAR | WNBA | US OPEN | PGA | LPGA | Paralympics

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➤ The Jacksonville Jaguars moved up two spots on Forbes’ NFL Valuations List last week. The football team is valued at $4.6 billion, ranking No. 26 in the NFL. (See Valuation)

➤ Ireland-based Primark opened its second Florida retail location at The Florida Mall in Orlando last week, with an entire floor dedicated to Disney merchandise. (More)

➤ SpaceX was cleared on Friday by the FAA to continue launching Falcon 9 rockets, and on Saturday, it launched two rockets back-to-back within 65 minutes of each other. (See Photos)

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➤ Wildlife images, including a manatee with a calf in restored Florida waters, are among the finalists in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. (See Photos)

➤ Former pro quarterback Tim Tebow delivered the keynote address last week at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Tampa. A session was dedicated to adapting the sports tourism industry to ongoing social and economic trends. (See Video)

➤ Zoo Miami is collaborating with San Antonio Zoo to create a satellite colony of threatened Texas horned lizards. Often referred to as “horned frogs,” they are the official state lizard of Texas. (See Photos)

➤ Thousands of fans celebrated the Little League World Champions from Lake Mary on Saturday with a parade and block party. (See Video)

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Are you going to a parade or a party today?

1. Yes
2. No

Friday’s Results:

Are you a Parrot Head?

Here’s why we asked…

1. Yes: 32.9%
2. No: 43%
3. What’s a Parrot Head? 24.1%

What was the Florida tourism slogan in the late 1980s?

Show me the answer