Hallmark Movies Might Be Helping the Economy in This Florida Region
Hallmark is on a bit of a hot streak these days with the Tampa Bay area. Earlier this spring the network premiered True Love Blooms, and Love in the Sun, which is yet to have an air date, are both filmed around Pinellas County.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Hallmark filming in this part of Florida is having a tangible economic impact on the community. "Love in the Sun, the second Hallmark movie to be made in the Tampa Bay area in recent months, expects to spend as much as $1 million in Hillsborough County during eight days of filming," writes reporter Paul Guzzo.
On wages, Hallmark will spend an estimated total of over $732,000 on employing 253 county residents. Additionally, the filming of Love in the Sun will spend around $45,000 on lodging and even more money on food and equipment, thus further stimulating the local economy.
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“Everyone’s been talking more about these Hallmark films than any other project in the last five years,” St. Petersburg-Clearwater film commissioner Tony Armer told the Tampa Bay Times. “[We] haven’t had this much buzz since Dolphin Tale 2.” You can read the full article on Tampa Bay Times' website here.
Certainly, it's an exciting moment for the Tampa Bay film community and its supporters, but these two films actually aren't the only recent Hallmark flicks to feature this gorgeous nook of Florida. Garden Party, another Hallmark film, is set in St. Petersburg and filmed around town in places like Vinoy Park and the Mahaffey Theater.
"They are all over St. Petersburg. It’s a nice little love letter to St. Pete," Armer said the Tampa Bay Times this winter.
Here's to many more Hallmark love letters around the Sunshine State.
