Florida official thanks ‘Economic Developer of the – Business News
Florida business boosters are trolling New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in the coronary heart of Times Square — thanking him for sending jobs, firms and rich residents south as the Sunshine State appears to be like to capitalize on a years-long migration of New Yorkers.
The Florida Chamber of Commerce on Monday unveiled a digital billboard at Broadway and West forty third Street naming Mamdani Florida’s “Economic Developer of the Year” and declaring: “Thanks for the jobs!”
“We wanted to thank him for the jobs, the companies, the people that they’re pushing out of New York — and a lot of them are coming to Florida,” Florida Chamber CEO Mark Wilson advised Fox News Digital.
A new billboard naming NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Florida’s “Economic Developer of the Year” is seen in Times Square on Monday, August 10, 2026. Brigitte Stelzer
The stunt comes in opposition to the backdrop of a migration pipeline that swelled during the COVID period, when distant work and a hunt for more space helped speed up departures from New York — notably amongst prime working-age and higher-income households.
Wilson mentioned the Times Square billboard is much less about celebrating New York’s losses than selling Florida’s financial model.
“Even though Florida is winning right now, we’re not looking for New York to lose. We’re hoping that these other states will say ‘no’ to this move towards socialism and say ‘yes’ to the very policies that our country was founded on,” he mentioned.
“This isn’t about spiking a football or looking at the scoreboard about Florida versus New York. This is really about trying to save our country from crazy.”
The Chamber is already eyeing different cities for future variations of the marketing campaign.
“We had to start in New York City because the mayor of New York City, obviously, is pushing that community into a direction that it’s not good for the people who live there,” Wilson mentioned.
“But there’s several runner-ups for this,” he added. “When you look at Chicago, when you look at California, Minneapolis, there’s places all over the country that come in a close second to the movement in New York City. So we’re gonna continue to highlight what works.”
A spokesperson for the mayor pushed back on claims that New York City’s economic system was struggling. Mayor Mamdani/X
Recent years have seen an exodus of New Yorkers for Florida, with specialists predicting the trend will speed up since the anti-business Mamdani took workplace in January.
His controversial pied-à-terre tax has prompted business titans like Ken Griffin to double down on plans to develop in Miami as a substitute of the Big Apple.
Mamdani’s fall election prompted a large spike in inquiries about multi-million-dollar properties in South Beach, as The Post beforehand reported.
Early indications recommend latest trends will solely worsen — with Florida rising as New York’s greatest single net-loss state in IRS migration information.
In 2022-2023, the most up-to-date period for which information had been accessible, New York noticed a internet loss of 21,176 tax returns from New York to the Sunshine State.
The Florida Chamber says the motion has translated into a widening tax-base hole.
Florida Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Wilson speaks at the Annual Economic Forecast hosted by the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce on Feb. 22, 2024, in Tallahassee. USA TODAY Network by way of Reuters Connect
Citing the IRS migration information, the group claims Florida positive factors roughly $2.4 million in internet taxable income each hour whereas New York loses about $1.1 million per hour.
“What do people like Mayor Mamdani do? They want to … increase taxes on the people who are left, which just further accelerates people leaving places like New York,” Wilson mentioned.
The Chamber’s marketing campaign argues that Florida’s lower-tax, lighter-regulation model has helped entice companies and residents from higher-tax states.
“Florida’s lowered taxes over 50 times in the last 15 years. And we have record revenues coming in because people want to be here. And when the economy grows, tax revenues grow. That’s how free enterprise works,” Wilson mentioned.
City Hall pushed back on the broadsides, pointing to job growth, investment and a strengthening Manhattan workplace market as proof that the metropolis’s economic system stays on strong footing.
“By any metric, New York City’s economy under Mayor Mamdani is as strong as it’s ever been. We look forward to continuing to grow the economy while ensuring that working-class New Yorkers are benefiting from that growth,” a spokesperson for the mayor advised The Post.
The billboard is seen at the nook of Broadway and West forty third Street in Manhattan. Brigitte Stelzer
The administration mentioned the metropolis has added more than 21,700 jobs over the previous six months — more than double the national growth fee — whereas employment in the high-paying finance and insurance coverage sectors has grown 1.9%.
The Manhattan workplace market is on tempo for its strongest yr since 2000, in response to City Hall, whereas New York City-based firms have raised more than $21 billion in enterprise capital thus far this yr, a 102% increase from the similar period final yr.
