Miami-Dade's New Film Incentive Program: What It Means If You're Producing a Commercial or Brand Video Here
Miami-Dade County just launched the largest local film incentive program in Florida history: the High Impact Film Fund Program (HIFFP), offering a cash rebate of up to 20% on qualifying productions, backed by $50 million over five years. If you're an agency or brand evaluating a video production company in Miami for a commercial, brand film, or larger campaign, here's what it actually means for your budget, in plain English, from a Miami video production company that works here every day.
What HIFFP Actually Is
The High Impact Film Fund Program was sponsored by Miami-Dade County Commissioner René Garcia and unanimously approved by the county's Board of County Commissioners. It's administered by the Miami-Dade Office of Film and Entertainment (branded publicly as Film Miami), and it provides a performance-based cash rebate, not a tax credit, of up to 20% on qualifying local spend for feature films, made-for-TV/streaming movies, and TV/streaming series, with commercial productions evaluated as part of the program as well.
The headline numbers, straight from the county:
Up to 20% cash rebate on qualifying production spend
$50 million committed over the next 5 years
Administered through the county's One-Stop-Shop Film Permitting Center, the same office that handles Miami-Dade's film and photo permitting
This matters because Florida hasn't had a statewide film incentive since the legislature declined to renew the previous program back in 2016. HIFFP is the county stepping in to fill that gap, and it's a meaningfully larger commitment than what's existed here in nearly a decade.
Do You Actually Qualify?
This is the part that gets glossed over in most coverage of the program, so let's be direct about it. HIFFP is a performance-based program aimed primarily at larger-scale productions with a minimum local spend threshold and a requirement that a significant share of that spend goes to Miami-Dade-based vendors. Every production must register with the Office of Film and Entertainment before applying, and applications open through the program's annual submission window.
Practically, that means:
A single mid-size commercial shoot likely won't clear the minimum spend threshold on its own.
A larger brand campaign, a multi-spot commercial series, or an agency bundling several productions across a fiscal year may. If you're an agency of record planning a full year of content with a video production agency in Miami, this is worth a real conversation before you lock your production budget.
Miami Beach runs its own, separate, stackable incentive, smaller in dollar terms but with a lower bar to entry (three shoot days in Miami Beach, or a minimum share of Miami-Dade-based cast and crew), and it can be combined with the county program.
Because the exact thresholds and the annual application window shift, the right move for any specific project is to register directly with the Office of Film and Entertainment and confirm current eligibility before you finalize a budget assuming the rebate.
The Incentive Most Productions Actually Use: The Statewide Sales Tax Exemption
Here's the part that applies far more broadly, and that most brands and even some agencies don't know exists. Regardless of whether a project qualifies for HIFFP, Florida offers a statewide sales tax exemption on production equipment purchases and rentals for qualifying motion picture, television, and advertising productions (Florida Statute s. 212.08). That applies to camera packages, grip and lighting, and other production equipment rented or purchased in-state, and it doesn't require hitting a multimillion-dollar spend threshold to use.
For most of the commercial and brand video work handled by a video production company Miami clients typically hire for this kind of project, this exemption is the more relevant, more immediately usable saving. It's worth confirming with your production partner and your accountant on every Florida shoot, not just the ones chasing the county rebate.
What This Means If You're Choosing Miami for Your Next Shoot
Beyond the direct financial mechanics, the launch of HIFFP is a signal that Miami-Dade is actively investing in staying competitive as a production market, on top of advantages that already exist here: year-round shooting weather, a deep, experienced local crew base, and a county film office that runs one of the more efficient permitting processes in the country through its One-Stop-Shop system.
For agencies weighing Miami against other cities, the honest picture is this. Don't plan your entire budget around the HIFFP rebate unless your project genuinely clears the local-spend threshold. Do factor in the statewide equipment tax exemption, which applies more broadly. And factor in the practical cost and logistics advantages of working with an established, local video production company Miami brands already trust, one that knows the permitting system, the vendor landscape, and the weather patterns already. That's a big part of why we built Brothership around being a genuinely local, full-service Miami video production company rather than a fly-in operation.
If you're planning a Miami shoot and want a straight answer on whether your project's scope would realistically clear the HIFFP threshold, or you just want production cost guidance either way, reach out to our video production agency in Miami and we'll walk through it with you.
FAQ
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Yes. Miami-Dade County's High Impact Film Fund Program (HIFFP) offers a cash rebate of up to 20% on qualifying productions, with $50 million committed over five years. Florida does not currently have a separate statewide film tax credit, but a statewide sales tax exemption on production equipment applies to qualifying productions regardless of HIFFP eligibility.
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HIFFP requires a minimum local spend threshold with a required share going to Miami-Dade-based vendors. The program is aimed primarily at larger-scale productions rather than single mid-size commercial shoots. Registering directly with the Miami-Dade Office of Film and Entertainment is the only way to confirm current thresholds for a specific project.
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Yes. Miami Beach runs its own Film & Production Incentive Program, which can be stacked with the county-level HIFFP program, and has a lower bar to entry than the county program.
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The Miami-Dade Office of Film and Entertainment, publicly branded as Film Miami, administers HIFFP as well as the county's film and photo permitting through its One-Stop-Shop Film Permitting Center. As a Miami video production company, Brothership works within this system on every local production.
