Longboat Key gets nod in Ben Affleck's movie

It can be considered a case of missed opportunity.

Ben Affleck wrote, directed and stars in his new movie. “Live By Night,” which opened nationwide Jan. 13 to lukewarm reviews. And although the film, based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, mentions Longboat Key and Ybor City, Hollywood magic-makers didn’t film a second of the movie on location.

A Ybor City replica was built in Georgia. And Longboat Key? It’s just a passing conversation.

The film follows Joe Coughlin, the son of a Boston police captain who rebels against his strict upbringing and trades it for a career in organized crime during the Prohibition. His choice takes him from Boston to Ybor City to Havana.

Longboat Key is the spot where Affleck’s Coughlin hopes to build a casino and hotel.

So why slight Longboat Key and Ybor City? You might blame the state’s movie incentives program that officially died June 30, though funding struggled for years previous. 

Because of a lack of tax credits from the state for film makers, Sarasota County cut back on rebate and incentive programs for movies, said Jeanne Corcoran, director of the Sarasota County Film and Entertainment Office.

Multimillion-dollar movies want big incentive that will give them millions back, and while Sarasota County has a small cash rebate program, it only returns tens of thousands, Corcoran said.

To the best of Corcoran’s knowledge, none of Affleck’s film was shot in the area. She said it is possible Affleck and crew scouted the area around the time they scouted Ybor City, and if they did any shooting here, it would have had to been guerilla-style without permits.

“We just hope that one of these days the state of Florida will get back on track with being competitive with our ... neighboring states like Georgia and Louisiana,” Corcoran said.

Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce President Gail Loefgren isn’t sure where Affleck would have put all his equipment to film on Longboat, but said using the natural beauty of the island would have generated exposure.

One roadblock might have stood in Affleck’s way, though, Loefgren said.

“Well, he would have had to go through a referendum just like everybody else, but maybe with his star power, you never know,” she said.

Although it’s hard to say how much benefit a movie can bring to a town, Corcoran said in the past, movies and local performances have spiked interest in the area. In 2011, former “America’s Got Talent” runner-up Jackie Evancho’s performance at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art was broadcast on Public Broadcasting Service stations. Corcoran said after the program aired, people called asking where the concert had taken place. 

Corcoran also credits the 1952 film, “The Greatest Show on Earth,” with putting Sarasota on the map.

Sandra Rios, director of marketing and communications for The Resort at Longboat Key Club, said even though people are always excited to hear about their area being featured in a movie, she does not think “Live By Night” will drive tourism or increase visits to Longboat.

“Unlike towns where a historic home has been used as a shoot location, or where people will see their main street or local park transformed into a Hollywood set, there is not much that will generate a visit to our destination since it was not filmed here,” she said in an email. “The (Affleck) movie might, however, generate a few phone calls asking where the casino is being built.”

In 2003, USA Today published “Places to meet a millionaire” and listed Longboat Key hotspot Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub No. 10. 

Owner Ed Chiles, said the restaurant’s phone rang off the hook following the article’s publication. 

However, Chiles doesn’t expect much to come of the mention of Longboat in “Live By Night,” but he said it’s always good when people talk about you.

“If they decided on Longboat Key, it would have been better than a mention, and a mention is better than sharp stick in the eye,” said Chiles, who also owns Beach House and Sandbar restaurants.