The Sony Pictures sequel “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” made headlines as it rolled through a succession of Florida locations in late February and early March, with reports of crews “spark(ing) buzz” filming on the A1A Highway in Fort Lauderdale, fans catching a glimpse of stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in Brickell, and traffic tie-ups in Miami. 

“If you look at the trailer, you’ll see anything that has to do with the beach is all us, with the stunt scene that they did on Ocean Drive in Fort Lauderdale,” boasts Sandy Lighterman, film commissioner for Broward County (Film Lauderdale) and president of Film Florida. “That was because we made it so easy for them.”

One of the reasons the presence of the latest “Bad Boys” movie was such big news is that while Florida has a wealth of TV production courtesy of Spanish language networks Telemundo and Univision, commercial shoots, and reality series such as “Selling Tampa” and “The Queen of Versailles Reigns Again” — all of which maintain a healthy crew base and industry infrastructure — shoots for scripted Hollywood movies and TV series are a rarity these days.

The state has served as the primary shooting location for many memorable projects, from movies such as “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” (1994) to the TV series “Miami Vice” (1984-1989) and “Burn Notice” (2007-2013). But these days, major Florida-set productions are more likely to resemble Apple TV+ series “Palm Royale,” which was only there long enough to do aerial shots of the Bath & Tennis Club in Palm Beach, and Netflix’s remake of “Road House,” which was filmed almost entirely in the Dominican Republic.

The reason is simple economics: since the sunset of the Sunshine State’s film and TV tax incentive in 2015, productions have gone elsewhere, most notably its neighbor to the north, Georgia, which offers a 20%-30% refundable tax credit.

With no sign of the state moving to revive its incentive, counties are taking matters into their own hands. In April, Miami-Dade County launched its High Impact Film Fund Program, offering a cash rebate of up to 20%. To qualify, projects must have a minimum budget of $5 million, base 90% of their Florida production in the county, and have 60% of their qualified labor be country residents and 70% of their vendors be locally registered businesses. With its annual cap of just $10 million, it’s unlikely to attract any tentpole movies, but it’s suitable for higher-end low budget films or a portion of a TV series. The county also has an incentive for projects with a minimum spend of $1 million that awards grants of up $100,000 per project.

“We worked very closely with a lot of industry stakeholders to research around the country and around the world as to what would make sense in terms of putting these percentages together,” says Marco Giron, chief of film and entertainment in Miami-Dade County. 

In Broward County, located in the Miami metropolitan area, producers can choose from a menu of incentives, including the Sun-Screen Program ($1.5 to $5 million county spend; 20% rebate capped at $800,000) and the High Impact Film & TV ($5 million minimum county spend; 15% rebate capped at $2 million).

“Since I’ve been here, we’ve had 12 movies that fully shot here because of the incentive program,” says Lighterman, who preceded Giron in Miami-Dade before taking the top film job in Broward in December 2021.

But movies aren’t the only yardstick of success. The film and TV industry generated a record $247 million in local expenditures in Palm Beach County in 2023, up 3% from 2022, on the strength of unscripted shows such as “Hot Yachts” (ITV/Paramount+) and the Netflix docuseries “Break Point.”  

One of the drivers of its success is the Palm Beach County Film and Television Commission’s sponsorship and development program, which encourages the production of content that promotes local tourism. To be considered for funding, shows must have distribution outside the county, reaching potential visitors. After airing on their original platforms, they become available on demand on the Palm Beaches TV channel. Projects participating in the program have included Travel Channel’s “Pets in Paradise” and PBS’ “Travels and Traditions” with Burt Wolf.

“In many cases, they wouldn’t have the budget to do these types of things, so it’s been an incredible success for us,” says Palm Beach County film commissioner Michelle Hillery.

In the case of actress of Julia Stiles’ directorial debut “Wish You Were Here,” however, the primary reason a large portion of the shoot took place in Florida was not incentives (it didn’t get any), the valuable help it received from the Palm Beach and Broward County film commissions or the connections producer Michelle Khan made shooting commercials in the state. It was, in fact, a boat.

“There’s a catamaran featured in one of the final scenes in the film that we were able to get for a relatively affordable price down there,” says Khan.

With the Florida Gators set to add former Arizona State wide receiver Elijhah Badger to the roster via the NCAA Transfer Portal, Gators Illustrated takes a look at what the former Sun Devil brings to the program. 

Putting it bluntly, Billy Napier and his staff get their guy as they close the book on its 2024 recruiting class.

With Ricky Pearsall off to the NFL, questions arose in spring camp about who would be the guy to replace his production at receiver. The obvious answer is rising sophomore Eugene Wilson III, who tremendously complemented Pearsall last season as an x-factor on offense. 

Then there’s Kahleil Jackson, the walk-on quarterback-turned scholarship wide receiver who showed tremendous potential as a deep threat and big-body receiver last season as a starter. 

Florida also has a pair of talented redshirt freshmen in Andy Jean and Aidan Mizell.

There’s also veteran backups Ja’Quavion Fraziars and Marcus Burke, who have yet to find a consistent role on the depth chart, but consistently earned the praises of their coaches and teammates in spring camp. 

Not to mention, Florida signed a speedy freshmen receiver duo in Jerrae “Tank” Hawkins and TJ Abrams.

That being said, the vast majority of Florida’s receiving room is either young, unproven or both, and after spring camp, it was evident the Gators could use a seasoned vet with consistent production in the room.

As a result, Florida dipped into the transfer portal prior to spring camp, and they landed on quarterback Graham Mertz’s former Wisconsin teammate Chimere Dike, who had his best success with Mertz as his passer. Still, though, the vast majority of the Gators’ receivers are either veterans who haven’t been able to crack the depth chart or youngsters who haven’t been on campus long enough to make an impact.

Specifically, outside of Dike and Wilson, Florida’s current receiving corps has combined for 60 catches, 777 yards and four touchdowns in their respective careers. 

Spoiler alert- Badger eclipsed all of those numbers on his own in 2022 and nearly did so again last season.

The Gators alleviate that inexperience and then some with Badger. His past two seasons with a struggling Arizona State program showed that.

In 2022, he recorded 70 catches for 866 yards and seven touchdowns. Although his numbers dipped in 2023, he still managed to catch 65 passes for 713 yards and three touchdowns. PFF graded Badger as the No. 78 receiver nationally last season (Pearsall was No. 74).

His catch total last season would’ve tied Pearsall for the team-high, and his yardage would’ve been second. Two years ago, he would’ve been the Gators’ top receiver in all three categories. 

An underrated aspect to Badger’s game is his potential as a kick returner. 

Lackluster special teams performances by the Gators over the last two seasons have been a major eyesore, and the lack of a consistent threat at kick returner hasn’t done them any favors. Not to mention, Florida’s two returners from last season (Pearsall and now-Georgia running back Trevor Etienne) are no longer part of the program. 

Florida did have options prior to Badger’s addition to the program. Wilson III’s agility makes him an automatic contender. There’s also Hawkins, who was once credited with a 4.25-second 40-yard dash. Additionally, running back Montrell Johnson even indicated in the spring that he was working out at punt returner. 

Again though, the one thing Badger has that that group doesn’t is successful experiences in that roles. 

Last season, he returned 20 kickoffs for 578 yards, which equates to a 28.9-yard return on average. He also had an 81-yard return in the Sun Devils’ season-opener. 

For comparison’s sake, the Gators averaged under 21 yards per kickoff return as a team last season. Florida hasn’t had a kick returner with over 500 yards in a season since Brandon Powell in 2015, and they haven’t had a player with a single kickoff return of over 80 yards since Solomon Patton in 2013. 

Patton’s 2013 campaign was also the last time Florida had a kickoff returner average at least 28 yards a return. 

Another point, Florida hasn’t had a kickoff returned for a touchdown since Antonio Callaway in 2016, which was a onside kick attempt against Missouri. 

Needless to say, it’s been a long near-10 years since Florida had a threatening return man on kickoffs. There’s potential all around this year’s Gator team to be that person, and Badger could be the best of them. At the very least, he will provide more competition for that role entering fall camp. 

Overall, Napier and Co. hit the transfer portal jackpot with Badger. He was the top-remaining receiver in the transfer portal and No. 79 overall transfer in the country, according to the On3 Industry Comparison at the time of his commitment.

As with any transfer, though, only time will tell just how beneficial the addition will be. For now, the potential to be an instant-impact player is there, and this is an offseason win Gator Nation should celebrate. 

Photos have captured Donald Trump and his wife Melania appearing together Friday at their son Barron’s high school graduation in Florida during a break in the former president’s New York criminal trial. 

Barron is one of 116 seniors at the Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach that received their diplomas Friday, according to The Palm Beach Post. 

Images show Trump and Melania in attendance to watch Barron walk across the stage. 

The 18-year-old has been attending Oxbridge Academy since Trump left the White House in 2021, The Palm Beach Post reports. 

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Trump had been pushing for weeks to attend his son’s high school graduation. The judge presiding over his criminal trial in Manhattan, Judge Juan Merchan, had left the decision on whether to allow Trump to attend in limbo. 

Merchan ultimately granted Trump’s request to attend Barron’s graduation, but he denied Trump’s request to attend arguments at the Supreme Court on April 25 regarding the matter of presidential immunity. 

“Barron’s a great student and he’s very proud of the fact he did so well and was looking forward for years to having his graduation with his mother and father there,” Trump said before Merchan granted his request to miss a day in court for the “scam trial.” 

Oxbridge Academy describes itself as a “premier, independent, co-educational college-preparatory school located on a beautiful 54-acre campus in West Palm Beach, Florida.” 

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Barron Trump graduates from Oxbridge Academy. His parents, former President Trump and wife Melania attended the ceremony on Friday in West Palm Beach. (Jim Rassol/The Palm Beach Post/Imagn)

“Founded in 2011 by philanthropist William I. Koch, Oxbridge Academy empowers students in grades 6-12 providing an outstanding education through a distinctive curriculum, an enriching environment, and an expert faculty helping them navigate their educational journeys with agility, confidence, and purpose,” it says on its website. 

“Annual graduating classes receive 100% acceptance to four-year colleges and universities, with 50% attending a top 100 U.S. university or a top 50 liberal arts college,” it adds. 

Former President Trump and Melania Trump attended the event during a break in Trump’s New York criminal trial. (Jim Rassol/The Palm Beach Post/Imagn)

During proceedings at the hush money trial in New York City on Thursday, Michael Cohen, Trump’s former attorney, answered numerous questions related to his time working for Trump, including whether he had hoped to secure a role at the White House in the Trump administration, how Trump reacted to the initial story of his and Stormy Daniels’ alleged sexual encounter, and whether he believed he played a role in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s indictment of Trump. 

Cohen said he “took some credit” for the 34-count indictment waged against Trump, who he once admitted to referring to as “dumb*ss Donald.” 

Trump had been planning to attend the graduation Friday and a judge granted his request to do so. (Jim Rassol/The Palm Beach Post/Imagn)

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Cohen’s testimony is expected to resume Monday when the court reconvenes at 9:30 a.m. ET. 

Fox News’ Brooke Singman and Kyle Morris contributed to this report.