Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis is telling New Yorkers to leave “the Big Apple” and come to Florida.
“Yes, the weather is great, but people are coming to the state because of nicer living conditions and a better economic environment,” Patronis said.
Groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council have praised Patronis for Florida’s high credit rating from the fiscal side of tax cuts, budget surplus, and keeping Florida as a right-to-work state.
Patronis told Fox News that people he has met who left New York and came to Florida said their reasons were safety first and no income tax.
Since 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau says 91,000 people left New York for Florida.
Patronis doesn’t shy away from mixing it up with liberal democrats. He is constantly calling out other blue states like California, Illinois, and New York for their liberal policies as a contributing factor to residents and businesses moving to the state.
In February, on CNBC, Patronis told New York City Comptroller Brad Lander that New Yorks’s economic policies are good for the Florida business model. Lander tried to defend his record, but Patronis shot back and said, “That check has bounced.”
The CFO also points out that financial firms have been moving to the state, primarily in the Miami area, where it has now been dubbed as “the Wall Street of the South.”
Another area finds New Yorkers leaving for Florida, and that is illegal immigrants coming to the city for sanctuary.
Some are concerned that too many New Yorkers are moving to Florida, which could make the state purple or blue again. But Patronis noted that even with the influx of New Yorkers, Florida has a bigger majority of Republican voters versus Democrat voters.
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