Florida CEOs send message to NYC: Ditch the Big Apple

The Florida Council of 100, a Tampa-based group of leaders who advise the governor on business issues, has sent an open letter to New York business leaders with a message for companies to leave the Empire State and relocate to the Sunshine State. 

The June 30 letter comes less than a week after New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat and member of the Democratic Socialists of America party, won the New York City Democratic primary for mayor. In a city that leans heavily Democrat, Mamdani, according to multiple news outlets, is a leading candidate to win the election in November. Current Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, is running as an Independent.    

The Florida Council of 100 letter doesn’t name Mamdani. But the letter’s “Florida is open for business theme” is geared toward countering what some leaders, in New York and Florida, have already called out as Mamdani’s business-hostile policies and ideals. If he wins, Mamdani, among other platforms, has said he would raise taxes on corporations and high-income individuals, operate a chain of city-owned grocery stores, and institute rent control programs, according to his public statements and interviews.  

John Catsimatidis, owner of the Gristedes supermarket chain and other business in New York City — who is also the founder of Red Apple Real Estate, which is building the Residences at 400 Central in downtown St. Pete — told multiple New York news outlets he would consider relocating and selling his grocery operations if Mamdani is elected mayor. Catsimatidis also wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal published June 30 titled “Want Soviet Bread Lines? Vote for Zohran Mamdani.” 

Gov. Ron DeSantis also weighed in on Mamdani, sending a message on X the day before the June 24 primary, above a New York Post story under the headline “Shocking poll shows Mamdani overtaking Cuomo in NYC’s ranked choice primary.” DeSantis, alluding to companies and people who have already ditched New York, many for Palm Beach County and surrounding areas, posted “just when you thought Palm Beach real estate couldn’t go any higher.” 

The council in its open letter, meanwhile, says its goal is to showcase Florida as a compelling alternative to “the growing risks of doing business in an uncertain economic and political environment,” like in New York City. The council, according to a statement accompanying the letter, “invites company executives to ‘grow with confidence’ in a state where private sector success is championed, not punished.” 

“Florida's approach to economic development is intentional, data-driven and rooted in the belief that private sector success strengthens entire communities,” the letter, titled Florida: Your Partner in Prosperity, Public Safety, Talent and Strategic Growth states. Data the letter cites includes: 

• Real GDP is up 26.3% in Florida since 2019, the highest of any state and nearly double the national rate.
• More than 3 million new businesses have launched here since 2019, including over 634,000 in 2024 alone.
• Almost half, 49%, of Florida CEOs plan to grow their workforce in the next six months — nearly double their national peers.
• More than four of 10, 45%, of Florida CEOs, expect to increase capital investments, even amid broader economic uncertainty.
• With AAA credit ratings, Florida supports over 23 million residents with a $115.1 billion state budget, and more than $13 billion in reserves. (New York’s budget, the letter states in comparison, exceeds $254 billion for fewer than 20 million residents.)

The letter cites specific Florida growth sectors; crime statistics; and education data as more reasons New York business should make the move. The letter is signed by Florida Council of 100 Chair George LeMieux and Vice Chair Rodney Barreto. 

The New York City mayoral election is scheduled for Nov. 4. In addition to the incumbent Adams running as an Independent, former New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat who Mamdani beat in the primary, says he will run as an Independent as well. Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels, is the Republican candidate; Adams beat Sliwa in the 2021 Mayoral race.