Florida chamber trolls NYC mayor, names him 'economic developer of the year'

Florida picked a big place to both brag and poke fun at: New York. 

The Florida Chamber of Commerce launched a Free Enterprise Florida competitiveness ad campaign today, with a centerpiece billboard in Times Square, at Broadway and West 43rd Street, that names (tongue-in-cheek, of course)  New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani the Sunshine State’s “Economic Developer of the Year.” The digital billboard also says “thanks for the jobs!”

While the message is meant to be a funny troll, chamber officials, in a statement, say there is a serious side to the campaign as it aims to bring "Florida's economic success story development and diversification approach to the heart of America’s push for socialism and government overreach.” (Mamdani was elected last year as a Democrat and is a national leader in the Democrat Socialists of America party.) 

Florida Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Wilson, in the statement and in some TV interviews Monday, kept the pressure on the Empire State. 

"Florida now has more people than New York, yet New York's budget is more than twice the size of Florida's. New York’s budget, with its push for higher taxes and much more government control, no wonder people are leaving,” Wilson says in the release. “To be clear, New York has incredible people and companies who want a chance to grow, and I believe they deserve that chance. Government doesn’t create innovation or jobs — the private sector does." 

The ad campaign website will include a side-by-side comparison of Florida and New York across key economic indicators, such as:

• Florida’s net migration of 551 people per day, compared to New York’s loss of 115.
• Florida’s debt per capita is the lowest in America at under $1,000, while New York’s exceeds $6,500.
• New York’s state budget is over double Florida’s, and New York City’s budget alone is over $8 billion higher than Florida’s.
• New York’s median rent is 34% higher than Florida’s, and the median price of a home is 63% higher than in Florida.
• Florida ranks No. 1 in new business start-ups, and New York ranks No. 4
• Per the latest IRS data, every hour, $2.4 million in net income moved into Florida, and $1.1 million left New York.

Speaking on Fox News Business, Wilson mentioned other cities and states that can be stand-ins for the Big Apple when it comes to socialist vs. free enterprise principles, including Chicago, California and Minneapolis. 

The New York Post reported on the billboard, too, with Mamdami’s office pushing back on the hit, saying the city’s economy is solid amid job growth, investment and a strengthening Manhattan office market.