It has been several years since the cameras all but stopped rolling in Florida for big TV and film productions. However, unscripted “reality” content in the state is flourishing. From nature-focused “Finding Adventure” to MTV’s “Siesta Key” and even Discovery+ hit “The Queen of Versailles Reigns Again,” audiences are flocking to screens like never before to see “real” Florida stories. And that could be a very good thing for an industry that has been faltering in recent years.
“I always thought that Florida would be booming in terms of TV production,” said Mark Long, who in addition to being a reality TV star on shows like “The Challenge” and “Worst Cooks in America” is also a producer for “The Challenge: All-Stars,” which is now streaming on Paramount+. “It really never took off like I thought it would.”
One of the big reasons why scripted shows have struggled to shoot in Florida is because of the lack of tax incentives in the state. For example, the recent “Father of the Bride” reboot takes place in Florida, but only the exteriors were shot in the state, with the rest of the filming happening in Georgia. Director Gaz Alazraki said while he doesn’t know “the ins and outs of the unions and incentives,” when it comes to shooting in different states, “they seemed to play a big role when the producers make decisions.”
