Ex-New Yorkers have declared something is rotten in the Big Apple, explaining Friday why they moved in droves to the Sunshine State instead.
According to a new study by the nonpartisan New York-focused Citizens Budget Commission (CBC), more than 150,000 residents reportedly fled New York for Florida between 2018 and 2022. With about 50,000 leaving Florida for NYC, the Big Apple saw a net decrease of over 100,000 residents who took almost $14 billion in income along with them.
This is part of an ongoing, years-long exodus of people from some of America’s most liberal states, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the homelessness and economic issues that surged in its wake.
Alex Taub, the co-founder of entertainment tech startup Goblintown, was one of many new Floridians who spoke to the New York Post about his motivations for leaving New York in the rearview mirror.
Florida has become a popular state for Americans fleeing homelessness, crime, and high costs of living in some of America’s blue cities and states. ( Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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“People thought we were crazy when we were telling them this but it just started getting more and more bleak in New York,” Taub said. “For the same price that we were paying [for a two-bedroom apartment] in New York, we were getting a five-bedroom, four-bathroom house with a pool and a backyard.”
The lifelong New Yorker said he once would have considered it “blasphemous” to leave, but the potential change in his work-life balance was too good to pass up.
“A lot of friends have moved down here, a lot of people in tech, a lot of people in business. The people who stayed are the people with kids,” Taub told the New York-based outlet. “I’ve never worked harder in my life but I know that at 5 o’clock today I can jump in the pool for a short break with my kids and have fun.”
Bustle Media CEO Bryan Goldberg praised south Florida’s government, telling the New York Post it “is composed of dozens of small towns with accessible, sane leaders who work hard to improve our lives.”
“I can get on the phone with the Miami Beach mayor at any time, and so can any of my neighbors,” the CEO added. “Once one experiences this sort of relationship with their government, it is impossible to return to the Kafkaesque NYC experience.”
Luxury retail consultant Melanie Holland said many of her clients offer a similar list of grievances about New York City, such as, “Why do I want to pay New York state or New York City taxes when I walk out my door and there’s a homeless person, or my Walgreens is shut down because of theft?”
Florida became especially prominent on the national stage during the COVID-19 pandemic, practicing more relaxed policies while lockdowns exacerbated crime and ruined businesses in other states. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
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She added further that many of her clients “hate” what has happened to New York City, noting crime and the smell of marijuana.
Broadstreet Global CEO David Feingold noted that at least 20 people that work in his organization have petitioned to relocate to the Sunshine State. While he said that New York’s high taxes and weather are timeless drawbacks, the new element actually driving longtime residents away is the “cumulative effect” of crime and immigration.
Feingold claimed that, much to his surprise, none of the people he knows who have relocated from New York to Florida regret the decision. “That’s the amazing thing — I thought I would get complaints about the lack of art and culture that you can only find in New York.”
While New York City remains one of America’s most iconic cities, its struggle with homelessness and crime has been a common grievance as locals flee to other states. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
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CBC president Andrew Rein also spoke to The New York Post about the exodus, noting, “The key is with any place you need the benefits to outweigh the cost. The question right now for New York is what do we offer? We have to make sure the benefits of being in New York are worth the cost.”