Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs are coming back to Miami, and this time the county wants the people behind the camera to come from here too. On Oct. 20, 2026, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners took up Agenda Item 14(A)(3), a resolution tied to a new feature film called Miami Vice 85. NBC 6 reported that the picture is set for a 2028 release, with Austin Butler as Crockett and Michael B. Jordan as Tubbs.
The resolution does not hand the production a check. Its text, published in the county's Miami-Dade legislative file for the Miami Vice 85 resolution, directs the Office of Film and Entertainment to negotiate a grant agreement with MV Films LLC, or a subsidiary or affiliate, for a grant of $1,020,000 in general funds originally allocated for film incentives. Any payment depends on the production meeting the terms of that agreement once it is negotiated and signed. Local crew and vendors who want work on the shoot can start by getting listed with the county film office through Film Miami.
For a grip, a caterer, a location scout or a lighting rental house, the conditions written into the resolution are the useful part. They spell out, in numbers, how much of the work the production would need to place with Miami-Dade residents and businesses to qualify for the money.
What the County Voted to Negotiate
The resolution's operative section directs the Office of Film and Entertainment to negotiate a grant agreement in generally the form attached to the item, and directs the County Mayor or the Mayor's designee to execute the agreement that results, subject to review by the County Attorney's Office for form and legal sufficiency. The resolution states that it becomes effective 10 days after adoption unless vetoed by the Mayor, or earlier upon the Mayor's approval.
That makes the current status a direction to negotiate, not an awarded grant. The draft agreement attached to the item also states that the county's performance is subject to final approval and appropriation of funding by the Board, and that the grant would be paid as a one time reimbursement no earlier than 180 days after the results of an independent audit are submitted to the film office.
The resolution's recitals explain where the money comes from. The county created its High Impact Film Fund Program in 2023 and funded it in fiscal years 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025. Film incentive funds were recaptured during development of the fiscal year 2025 to 2026 budget, and the resolution says limited funds originally allocated for film incentives remain legally available in the general fund.
The Four Conditions Behind the $1.02 Million
The resolution says the grant agreement must, at a minimum, require the production to do four things.
First, spend $10,000,000 in Miami-Dade County.
Second, employ county residents as no less than 30 percent of the below-the-line crew engaged for the county portion of the production.
Third, use Miami-Dade County businesses as no less than 50 percent of the vendors and contractors engaged for the county portion of the production, or incur at least $5,000,000 in qualifying expenditures with Miami-Dade County businesses. That second path matters for vendors: the production can satisfy the vendor condition either by count or by dollars spent locally.
Fourth, submit an acceptable independent compliance audit.
NBC 6 reported the same four conditions, including the $5 million alternative to the 50 percent vendor share.
What Counts as Local Crew
The draft grant agreement attached to the resolution defines the crew requirement in more detail. It calls for at least 30 percent qualified Miami-Dade County residents hired as crew for the days produced in the county. Qualifying employees are county residents hired as principal crew members, excluding extras and background talent, who are paid for work from at least the first day to the last day of production on the production calendar. The draft says the county will determine whether an individual qualifies, and that its determination is final.
Residency has to be documented. The draft states that proof of Miami-Dade County residency requires a copy of a Florida driver's license and one additional supporting document. Crew members who recently moved, or whose license still shows an address outside the county, should sort that out before a production office asks.
The draft also requires the production to employ at least two students or recent graduates. They must either be enrolled in an entertainment production program at a Miami-Dade college or university by the first day of pre-production, or have graduated within the prior year from a Miami-Dade school with a bachelor's or master's degree in film, video, media or digital media production or a similar field and currently live in the county.
What Counts as a Local Vendor
For businesses, the draft agreement is specific. At least 50 percent of the vendors providing goods and services for the duration of the project must be Miami-Dade County registered businesses with a current local business tax receipt, or the production must spend at least $5 million on qualifying expenses.
That makes the local business tax receipt the first document a vendor should check. A rental house, a caterer, a security firm or a set construction shop that cannot show a current Miami-Dade receipt may not count toward the production's local share, regardless of where its owners live.
The draft also requires the production to use Miami-Dade County studios and sound stages and to base its production offices in the county. Stage operators, office landlords and the businesses around them could see demand from that requirement if the agreement is signed in that form.
Is There a Sign Up Yet
As of Oct. 22, 2026, no public crew or vendor sign up specific to Miami Vice 85 appears in the county documents, the county film office website or the NBC 6 report. Anyone claiming to collect resumes on the production's behalf should be checked against official sources.
The draft agreement does set up a channel. It requires the production to submit a contact email and phone number to the Office of Film and Entertainment for the submission of resumes and information from local crew and vendors. Until that contact is published, the practical path is to be findable where productions already look.
How to Get Ready Now
Crew members can start with the county film office. Film Miami links to a Miami crew directory hosted on Reel-Scout, along with production resources and a production guide that productions use to find local people and services. A complete, current listing with credits, union status where relevant and a Miami-Dade address is the baseline.
The Gazette's roundup of free South Florida film crew and vendor directories covers other free listings worth filling out, so a production office searching for a department can find the same name in more than one place.
Vendors should confirm a current local business tax receipt, then make sure they are registered to do business with the county. The free Miami-Dade vendor registration boot camp on Nov. 5 walks owners through county vendor registration, which is useful well beyond one film.
Students and recent graduates in film and media programs at Miami-Dade schools should keep proof of enrollment or a diploma date handy, since the draft agreement's student requirement depends on those dates.
Everyone should keep records. The draft requires the production to submit a final crew list, final vendor list, final call sheets, production reports and payroll reports with its audit. Crew and vendors who keep their own copies of start paperwork, invoices and proof of residency will have an easier time if the county later checks who qualified.
Timeline and What to Watch
The draft agreement says productions must commence within 120 days of the agreement's effective date, and that any change to the production calendar of 45 days or more needs written approval from the film office. The audit is due within 300 days of the last day of post-production.
Several things are not yet public: the final signed agreement, the production calendar attached as an exhibit, the dates the shoot would be in Miami-Dade, and the production's contact for local resumes. Each of those is worth watching for on the county's legislative site and the Film Miami website.
The previous film adaptation, released in 2006, starred Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx, NBC 6 noted. For the local crews and businesses that worked on it, and for those who were not yet in the business, the new picture is a chance to put a Miami-Dade address on the call sheet.
Sources
Miami-Dade County, Agenda Item No. 14(A)(3), resolution directing the Office of Film and Entertainment to negotiate a grant agreement with MV Films LLC for Miami Vice 85, Oct. 20, 2026, with draft grant agreement.
NBC 6 South Florida, Miami-Dade commissioners approve $1.02M in incentives for production of Miami Vice 85, Oct. 20, 2026.
Miami-Dade County Office of Film and Entertainment, Film Miami.
Related
Free South Florida Film Directories for Crew and Vendors
Miami-Dade Vendor Registration Boot Camp: Free on Nov. 5
Key Facts for Owners and Search
Did Miami-Dade award Miami Vice 85 a grant?
Not yet. On Oct. 20, 2026, the County Commission took up a resolution directing the Office of Film and Entertainment to negotiate a grant agreement with MV Films LLC for a grant of $1,020,000. Payment depends on the production meeting every condition in the final agreement, a compliance audit and the Board's appropriation of funding.
How much local crew must Miami Vice 85 hire?
The resolution requires county residents to make up no less than 30 percent of the below-the-line crew engaged for the Miami-Dade portion of the production. The draft agreement excludes extras and background talent and says residency is proven with a Florida driver's license plus one additional supporting document. The county decides who qualifies.
What is the local vendor requirement?
Miami-Dade businesses must make up no less than 50 percent of the vendors and contractors for the county portion of the production, or the production must spend at least $5 million with Miami-Dade businesses. The draft agreement says qualifying vendors must be county registered businesses holding a current local business tax receipt to count.
How much must the production spend in Miami-Dade?
The resolution requires the production to spend $10,000,000 in Miami-Dade County to qualify for the grant. The draft agreement counts qualifying payroll paid to county residents and qualifying expenses for goods and services. The production must also use county studios and sound stages, base its production offices locally and submit an independent audit.
How can local crew apply to work on Miami Vice 85?
No public sign up for the production was posted as of Oct. 22, 2026. The draft agreement requires the production to give the county film office a contact email and phone number for local crew and vendor resumes. Until then, crew can list themselves in the Film Miami crew directory and other free directories.
