Five films will be shot in Pinellas County over the next few months with hope of inspiring visitors

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The gorgeous beaches of Pinellas County not only attract tourists, but they’re also getting a lot of attention lately from film crews.

In just the next few months, five new films are being shot around Pinellas County. The reason producers chose Pinellas has a connection to the 2011 blockbuster Dolphin Tale, filmed at Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

Back in June, Austin Highsmith, who produced and starred in Dolphin Tale, reached out to David Yates, the aquarium’s former CEO. She told him she’d co-written a script for a new film. Yates said, "Let’s bring it to Pinellas County."

A few calls later, it was a done deal. "The Plus One," a romantic comedy starring Ashanti and Cedric the Entertainer will be filmed between Thanksgiving and Christmas at Sandpearl and Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resorts.

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The film's producer, Danny Roth, was so enticed by the Visit St. Pete/Clearwater film incentive program, which gives 10% cash back for money spent locally, he decided to bring four more films here. Those films were originally set to be filmed in Oklahoma.

They will be shot over the next few months and will likely air on Lifetime. The films are scripted around Pinellas, with real places, real business names and plenty of local extras.

It's film-induced tourism. The goal is for people to watch movies, see beautiful beaches and attractions, and maybe want to book a plane ticket to visit in-person. According to VSPC’s Film Commissioner Tony Armer, the 2021 fiscal year has been their busiest ever in terms of permits issued for films, commercials, TV shows and other productions.

"The big factor is promoting this area," said Armer. "I think there was a study done that shows that 20% or 25% of tourism comes from things that people have seen in film or television. If you're going to come shoot here, you're not going to pretend to be somewhere else, why not call it St. Pete/Clearwater and then build on that and use that to help drive tourism?"

One of the four Lifetime movies, "DOA at the PTA," a murder mystery, just started filming last week. So far, they've filmed on location at Clearwater Police Department, a home in Dunedin and the Seminole campus of St. Petersburg College. It'll likely air in 2022.

"It’s really starting to culminate now in all of these projects coming together," Yates said. "We’ve had now three Hallmark Channel films, one of which premieres this coming Saturday night, a litany of other films."

He’s talking about "South Beach Love," shot in St. Pete. You can see it this Saturday, October 9 at 9 p.m. on the Hallmark Channel.

Circling back around to Dolphin Tale, the impact of these films doesn’t go away with the credits. Armer said, on average, the ongoing economic impact of the Dolphin Tale movies remains around $500 million.

"So, half a billion dollars a year," he explained, "is still being pumped into the county supporting 11,000 jobs."