Film

Film Florida Week Hits West Palm Beach: What Broward and Palm Beach Production Owners Should Do Today and Tomorrow

Film Florida Week is live in West Palm Beach Sept. 8–9: leaders, Industry Connections, GC26 prices, PBC permits vs rebates.

By Brian D'Antoni September 8, 2026 9 min read

Downtown West Palm Beach Okeechobee corridor at dusk — Hilton / Convention Center setting for Film Florida Week + GC26.

By Brian D’Antoni This article was researched and drafted with AI assistance; all figures and leadership titles were checked against primary sources as of Tuesday, September 8, 2026.

Why this week matters for South Florida production owners

If you run a production company, rental house, studio, agency, or crew business along the Broward–Palm Beach corridor, this week is not a tourism side show. Film Florida’s Quarterly Meeting lands in West Palm Beach Tuesday, September 8 and Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at the Hilton West Palm Beach (600 Okeechobee Blvd.), then dovetails into the Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism (GC26) September 9–11 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. That stacking puts statewide policy people, film commissioners, labor and education council representatives, and tourism marketers within a few blocks of Palm Beach County’s free one-stop permitting shop at pbfilm.com.

For owners, the practical question is simple: who is in the room, what can you still register for, and how do Palm Beach County’s support tools compare with Broward and Miami-Dade when you are bidding a shoot that could land on either side of the county line.

Who is leading Film Florida right now (verified)

Live primary pages — not third-party recaps — list the 2026–2027 executive board as follows:

President: Matt Wohl, Traveling Dog Films (officers election announcement; Board of Directors)
Immediate Past President: Sandy Lighterman, Film Lauderdale (same sources)
1st Vice President: Tyler Martinolich, Film Tampa Bay
2nd Vice President: Anne Russell, Full Sail University
Treasurer: Christy Andreoni, Film Lauderdale
Secretary: Michael Viera, SAG-AFTRA
Executive Director contact listed on Film Florida news: John Lux, jlux@filmflorida.org

The Board of Directors page (timestamped on Film Florida’s site in August 2026) matches the May 2026 election release: Wohl is President; Lighterman is Immediate Past President. Treat that as current unless Film Florida updates the board page again.

Tuesday itinerary (today): committees, then Industry Connections

Film Florida’s published tentative schedule for Tuesday, September 8, 2026 at the Hilton West Palm Beach (Cypress Room on the news post) is all times ET and Film Florida members only for the afternoon committees:

12:00–1:00 p.m. — Strategic Futures Committee
1:00–2:00 p.m. — Legislative Committee
2:00–3:00 p.m. — Film Commission Council
3:00–4:00 p.m. — Industry & Association and Labor Councils
4:00–5:00 p.m. — Education Council

Members who cannot attend in person are directed to email info@filmflorida.org for call-in information (next quarterly meeting page).

Evening — Industry Connections (open networking): Ian Jacob Studios at The Space WPB, 400 Clematis St., Suite 201, West Palm Beach. Film Florida describes the event as a chance to meet and connect with industry professionals. Published pricing on Film Florida: FREE for Film Florida members; $10 for non-members. Members must email info@filmflorida.org for a registration code. Space is limited; registration is required (quarterly meeting announcement).

Eventbrite status as of this research (Sept. 8, 2026): the listing Film Florida Industry Connections shows Tuesday, September 8, 6:00–8:00 p.m. and “Sales ended.” That means online ticket sales through Eventbrite are closed as of check time. If you still need access, contact Film Florida directly at info@filmflorida.org rather than assuming walk-up availability. The Eventbrite page also notes The Space WPB is on the second floor via a walk-up staircase (request elevator access in advance if needed) and that Circuit on-demand downtown rides run until 8:00 p.m. for a listed $2 fare.

Film Florida is also collecting non-perishable food items at the meetings for a local shelter or food bank, and running a 50/50 raffle ($5 per ticket or 5 for $20) with proceeds split between the winner and Film Florida’s grant and scholarship fund (quarterly meeting news). Payment methods differ slightly by page (cash/card on the news post; virtual credit card/PayPal/Venmo/Zelle on the meetings page) — bring options and ask on site.

Wednesday: public Board of Directors meeting, then GC26 opens

Wednesday, September 9, 2026 at the Hilton West Palm Beach:

9:00 a.m. — Continental breakfast (Film Florida members only)
9:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. — Board of Directors Meeting — Public Welcome (both Film Florida schedule pages)

Owners who are not members can still sit in on the public board session. That is the highest-leverage free hour of the week if you care about statewide legislative posture, local commission coordination, or education/workforce pipelines. Email info@filmflorida.org for board Zoom/call-in details if you cannot be in the room.

After the board meeting, attention shifts to GC26 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. Film Florida’s GC26 member invite frames the booth as a place to educate tourism stakeholders on shared marketing and tourism goals. Pending final details, Film Florida says it will present the Film Florida Tourism Ambassador Award during the conference luncheon on Thursday, September 10, 2026.

GC26 registration reality check (online closed; prices conflict)

VISIT FLORIDA’s GC26 event home states clearly: online registration is closed. Onsite registration is directed to the Registration & Information Desk in the Hall A Lobby of the Palm Beach County Convention Center starting at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, September 8. Conference dates remain September 9–11, 2026.

Film Florida’s own pages list conflicting member package prices for booth / full registration versus conference-only badges. Soft-confirm every figure with Film Florida before you pay or invoice a client:

Source (primary)	Booth / full package	Conference / badge only	Notes
Quarterly meeting news (Sept. 2026)	$1,400 (sponsor/participate in Film Florida booth + all-access pass)	$750 badge only	Updated on Film Florida site Aug. 20, 2026 timestamp
Next quarterly meeting page	$1,200 booth participation + all-access	$750 badge only	Asks interest email by Friday, June 5, 2026; “prices will increase after June 5”
Governors Conference news post	$1,400 FULL REGISTRATION (booth + conference + meals)	$850 Conference Only (no booth)	Ask by Friday, August 21, 2026

Reader instruction: do not treat any single archived figure as final. Email info@filmflorida.org (or info@FilmFlorida.org as some pages capitalize) and confirm the current booth and badge price, what is still available, and whether onsite GC26 registration can still be paired with Film Florida booth access.

Hotel context from Film Florida: shared GC room block at the Hilton West Palm Beach was listed at $215 plus tax, with discounted valet ($25/night or $15 day use). The group-rate cut-off date published was Monday, August 10, 2026 — already past as of today — and Film Florida warns the block typically sells out (quarterly meeting). The GC26 Film Florida news post also listed Marriott ($187 + 13% tax) and Hyatt Place West Palm Beach Downtown ($149 + 13% tax). Confirm live rates and availability directly with the hotels / VISIT FLORIDA booking links rather than relying on cut-off language alone.

Palm Beach County: free one-stop permits, not a cash rebate

Palm Beach County Film & Television Commission (pbfilm.com) positions itself as the official film commission for Palm Beach County and a one-stop shop for production support. On the homepage, the commission states it offers free one-stop permitting for over 50 municipalities, taxing districts, county departments, and other community entities in The Palm Beaches, with 24/7 service language around helping crews stay focused on production. Contact numbers published on the site include 800.745.FILM (3456) and 561.233.1000, address 2195 Southern Blvd., Suite 520, West Palm Beach, FL 33406.

That permitting convenience is real owner value — especially for commercial, branded, and mid-budget shoots that die on municipal friction. It is not the same thing as a county cash rebate.

Film Florida’s own Incentive Programs page describes Palm Beach County’s program as the Film & Television Commission’s Sponsorship & Development Program tied to tourism-branded content for The Palm Beaches TV, not a general production cash rebate. Shows considered for sponsorship funding are required to have distribution outside The Palm Beaches marketplace and then stream on the channel. Film Florida’s write-up notes the program has helped generate business for the local production community while helping “offset the impact of not having a state incentive program.” For sponsorship questions, Film Florida lists admin@pbfilm.com or 561.233.1000.

Owner takeaway: if your bid depends on a performance-based cash rebate, Palm Beach County’s published toolkit is permits + location/crew support + tourism-content sponsorship criteria — not a Broward-style spend rebate. Stack that honestly in proposals: PBC can be the right location call for logistics and look; rebate math may still point to neighboring counties. For Broward / Film Lauderdale rebate detail, see the Gazette’s Broward County film incentives / Film Lauderdale guide and Florida film incentive discussions. For Emerging Filmmakers and the statewide sales-tax exemption deep dives, see Broward Emerging Filmmakers Grant (October 2026 readiness) and Florida entertainment industry sales-tax exemption — those are separate Gazette packages, not re-hubbed here.

Town of Palm Beach is not the same as Palm Beach County permits

Productions often confuse Palm Beach County (county film commission / free one-stop via pbfilm.com) with the Town of Palm Beach (the island municipality with its own rules). The Town’s official FAQ on commercial filming (townofpalmbeach.com FAQ) points applicants to Chapter 22, Article IV (Filming Operations) and summarizes, among other points:

Filming allowed only in commercial districts; prohibited in residential districts
Peak-hour restrictions (prohibited 8:00–10:00 a.m. and 3:00–5:00 p.m.)
Applications require Town Council approval
Submit no less than 20 business days before the council meeting (council typically second Tuesday of each month — confirm the public calendar)

Seasonal blackout / fee caution: several secondary production guides claim a November 15–April 15 filming blackout and publish application/day fees for the Town of Palm Beach. As of this research, those seasonal blackout and fee figures were not restated in the Town FAQ highlights we could verify on the official FAQ page. Do not budget blackout windows or Town fees from secondary blogs alone. Confirm current code language and fee schedules with the Town Clerk and Chapter 22, Article IV before you lock an island location or quote a client. When in doubt, route county-side permitting questions to pbfilm.com and Town-of-Palm-Beach questions to the Town — they are different processes.

Owner-impact checklist for Broward and Palm Beach shops

Use this as a same-day / next-day operating list, not a conference souvenir:

1. If you are already in West Palm: prioritize the public Board meeting Wednesday 9:30 a.m.–noon (schedule). Bring one concrete ask (crew pipeline, municipal friction, tourism co-marketing, student talent).
2. Industry Connections tonight: Eventbrite shows sales ended (listing). Members: email info@filmflorida.org with your code status. Non-members: confirm whether $10 door / late registration is still possible. Venue: 400 Clematis St., Suite 201.
3. GC26: online reg is closed; onsite desk opens 2 p.m. Tuesday at Convention Center Hall A Lobby (GC26 home). Confirm any Film Florida booth package price in writing — published figures still conflict ($1,200 vs $1,400 full/booth; $750 vs $850 conference-only).
4. Hotel: published Hilton group cut-off was Aug. 10; assume transient / Marriott / Hyatt Place inventory and verify parking rates yourself.
5. Permit reality for PBC shoots: start at pbfilm.com for free multi-municipality coordination. Do not tell clients Palm Beach County offers a general cash rebate; point to the Sponsorship & Development / PBTV track only when the project is tourism-content eligible.
6. Rebate geography: when a client needs cash rebate math, compare honestly with Broward and Miami-Dade programs via Film Florida’s incentive directory and Gazette coverage of South Florida film rebates and budgets / brand partners — without treating this week’s networking as a substitute for program rules.
7. Town of Palm Beach island work: separate application path; verify commercial-district and peak-hour rules on the Town FAQ; confirm any seasonal blackout or fee schedule with the Town Clerk before bidding.
8. Membership path: non-members who want committee access are pointed to join via Film Florida’s membership link on the quarterly meeting pages.
9. Leadership contacts for follow-up: President Matt Wohl and Immediate Past President Sandy Lighterman are listed on the board page; operational email for meeting logistics remains info@filmflorida.org.
10. Local goodwill: if you attend in person, bring a non-perishable food item as requested; raffle proceeds support Film Florida grants and scholarships.

What “owner-ready” looks like after this week

South Florida production ownership is increasingly a logistics and incentive-stacking business. West Palm this week compresses three lanes into 48 hours: association governance (Film Florida committees and a public board), tourism distribution (GC26 and a Film Florida booth aimed at tourism stakeholders), and county production infrastructure (Palm Beach County’s free permitting network versus neighboring cash-rebate counties).

None of that requires badmouthing anyone in the room. It does require accurate titles, honest price soft-confirms, and clear geography. Matt Wohl is the sitting President; Sandy Lighterman is Immediate Past President — both listed on Film Florida’s live board materials. Industry Connections was priced free/$10 with Eventbrite sales ended as of research time. GC26 online registration is closed, with onsite options published by VISIT FLORIDA. Booth package dollars still disagree across Film Florida’s own URLs, so confirm before you spend. And when you leave Clematis Street or the convention center and go back to scheduling a shoot, remember: pbfilm.com is a permitting and support advantage; it is not Broward’s rebate menu.

For continuing Gazette coverage of corridor economics, start with the live rebate and exemption packages linked above, plus the Sundaze Gazette home. For primary updates after press time, watch filmflorida.org, pbfilm.com, and the GC26 Cvent home.