A spokeswoman for EUE/Screen Gems Studios confirmed Friday afternoon that the company plans to construct a movie studio and related facilities in Miami.
 
The Miami Omni Community Redevelopment Agency on Thursday announced that its board of commissioners approved a contract with EUE/Screen Gems Studios for the development and operation of the Miami Entertainment Complex (MEC), a movie studio and related facilities. The complex will be located in the city’s Media and Entertainment District, the news release stated.
 
“There is an agreement in the works, but we haven’t broken ground yet,” said Susan Dosier, a spokeswoman for EUE/Screen Gems Studios. “The building will not be complete until August 2015.”
 
According to the release, the complex will be designed to serve major film productions, television series and independent filmmakers. Once operational, EUE/Screen Gems Studios will lease the MEC for 10 years with an option to renew for nine years, the release stated.

The announcement also quotes Pieter A. Bockweg, executive director of the Miami Omni CRA, as saying that his agency, which owns the land and existing structure, will reimburse EUE/Screen Gems Studios up to $11.5 million in development costs. “This agreement was negotiated with the intent of creating a long-term public private partnership," he said.

“EUE/Screen Gems Studios is a forward-thinking business that always has its eye on new opportunities,” Chris Cooney, COO and co-owner of EUE/Screen Gems Studios, said in an email. “Florida is a terrific example of a public-private partnership – just like our expansion in Georgia was an attractive business option when we developed a studio complex there. 

“The Cooneys are fully in support of extending the incentive in N.C. The studios in Wilmington, N.C. remain the largest studio complex outside of California,” Cooney continued. “We will continue to look for opportunities to expand and grow our business and will continue to support our investments in Wilmington, N.C. and Atlanta.”

In addition to its facilities in Wilmington and Atlanta, EUE/Screen Gems owns and operates film and TV facilities in New York City.