Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis quipped on Wednesday that the victory of Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani of New York City could lead to an exodus from the Big Apple.
Former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceded the Democratic primary Tuesday night to Mamdani, who is pushing an array of left-wing policy positions from city-run grocery stores to $30 minimum wage. DeSantis said the resulting exodus from New York could lead to an increase in the Sunshine State’s property values.
“If this socialist mayor candidate wins – you’re gonna see real estate value skyrocket even more in Palm Beach, because people are gonna get out of that city,” DeSantis said during a bill-signing ceremony for legislation covering pubic beaches. “As bad as DeBlasio was, this guy is like going to be way, way, worse.”
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The state has seen property values rise by 191.9% in the ten-year period ending in July 2022, according to Quantum Realty Advisors. There has been an exodus of citizens from blue states like California and New York to Florida.
DeSantis proposed a reduction in property taxes in March and wants to place a constitutional amendment to end property taxes on the November 2026 ballot, Fox13.com reported. DeSantis argued that sales tax relief would benefit Canadian tourists more than Florida residents, but also wanted the changes for a philosophical reason.
“You have to just keep writing a check to the government just for the privilege of using your own property,” DeSantis said. “That’s an anomaly. That’s not the way good tax policy should be.”
“He doesn’t think that you should have law enforcement in dangerous parts of the city, that you should send in social workers,” DeSantis continued. “See how that works out for you. It ain’t going to work out well.”
DeSantis signed a host of conservative-favored legislation during his tenure as governor, including a bill restricting abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy in April 2023, months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022 after upholding a Mississippi law in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
DeSantis gained national prominence with several culture war battles in 2022 and his landslide defeat of former Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist by 17% that year. The Florida governor and Disney have also clashed since he signed parental rights legislation in March 2022 over the company’s opposition, even approving legislation that ended Disney’s control over the Reedy Creek Improvement District, leading to the company suing DeSantis in April 2023.
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