by Joel Addington
Contributing Writer
Filming of the HBO movie “Recount” ended Thursday, leaving millions of dollars behind in local lodging, food and retail revenues, according to Jacksonville tourism and event officials.
The movie about the controversial aftermath of the 2000 presidential election is directed by Jay Roach and stars Kevin Spacey, Laura Dern, Dennis Leary and Ed Begley Jr.
Jacksonville provided producers of the film with ample and varied locations including the Duval County Courthouse, Prime Osborne Convention Center, Hyatt hotel, Jacksonville Beach City Hall and the Ed Ball Building, to name a few.
“There was also a beautiful home on Ortega Boulevard,” said Todd Roobin, director of film and television for the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission. “One law firm posed as the Democratic headquarters and another as the Republican headquarters.”
One of the major draws for filming in Jacksonville is the city’s ability to mimic many other locations and offer a variety of looks for a movie. Roobin said Jacksonville doubled for Miami, Nashville, Tenn., Austin, Texas and Tallahassee, although film crews also spent five days filming in Tallahassee.
He said production executives from New York and Los Angeles began arriving in Jacksonville at the end of August for preliminary work, and a 40-day shooting schedule, five days each week, started Sept. 1.
Other feature films shot in Jacksonville include G.I. Jane, Basic, The Devil’s Advocate, The Manchurian Candidate and most recently, Rocket, starring Jimmy Fallon and Tom Arnold.
While the filming of “Recount” caused a few traffic headaches with roads closed for shooting and a few paparazzi moments with stars like Spacey walking around town, the real impact on the city was economic.
“They (producers, cast and crew) exceeded the projected hotel lodging,” said Roobin. He estimated the filming accounted for about 5,000 room nights for local hotels.
“To feed a crew of 125, they buy a lot of food from local vendors. They feed them exceptionally well. It’s very significant,” he said.
In addition, there were construction materials purchased locally, like the lumber used in recreating the Florida Supreme Court at the Cecil Field Commerce Center.
Using the estimate of 5,000 room nights, Lyndsay Rossman, director of corporate communications for Visit Jacksonville (formerly the Jacksonville and the Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau), said the total economic impact in Jacksonville was roughly $2.5 million.
That total doesn’t include an initial investment by the Tourist Development Council of $21,000 in bed-tax dollars granted to the filmmakers to offset location fees and costs to use city facilities. However, Rossman said Jacksonville definitely saw a return on its investment.
“It’s like a really big convention coming to town,” she said. “We see value in having filming for television and movies here because it keeps our hotels in business, and those people spend money in our restaurants and on retail and transportation. We definitely see value in bringing them here.”