Filming may delay Skyway traffic

ST. PETERSBURG -- Perhaps it's the backdrop of bright sun and blue sky, or the scope of broad water from a vantage point 190 feet above Tampa Bay. Whatever it is, when it comes to filming car commercials, the Sunshine Skyway bridge is irresistible.

Six months ago it was Toyota filming commercials on the bridge. Today the span belongs to Cadillac.

Motorists might encounter some slowdowns as a rolling blockade formed by the Florida Highway Patrol escorts the Cadillac between St. Petersburg and Bradenton with a helicopter overhead doing the filming. But state Department of Transportation officials say traffic will not be stopped.

Filming began on Friday and lasted from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Today's schedule is 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"We have people filming commercials on the bridge all the time," said FDOT spokeswoman Marian Scorza. "It's really good to have the film industry here. It promotes the state and the area and the bridge."

FDOT issues a permit for such filming but does not charge a fee for the use of the bridge. However the Highway Patrol does charge for the off-duty troopers and their vehicles, just as it charges to have vehicles at road construction sites to alert motorists to possible problems.

However, the vehicle being filmed and any others crossing the bridge in connection with the filming do have to pay the $1 toll each time.

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