Fox News host Sean Hannity announced on Tuesday his move from New York to the “free state of Florida,” citing New York’s high taxes and “burdensome regulation” as some of the reasons for the relocation.
“Breaking news is that if anybody has listened to this program for any length of time, I’ve been threatening now to do this for quite a while,” Mr. Hannity told listeners during his iHeartRadio show on Jan. 2.
“But we are now beginning our first broadcast from my new home, and that is in the free state of Florida. I am out. I am done. I’m finished,” he added.
Mr. Hannity said that for the first time in his adult life, he has shared values with his political representatives, specifically citing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, all Republicans.
Mr. Hannity stated that other individuals had taken similar actions and expressed no regrets.
“And I’m not going to go through the ‘whys,’ the ‘how comes,’ because it’s obvious—this migration out of the deep blue states with high taxes, burdensome regulation, high crime, horrible school districts, is real.
More People Are Moving to Florida
A January 2023 report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows that 26 states saw more people moving in than out. The rest saw people leaving for other states.The top five states attracting the largest number of new residents were Florida (318,855), Texas (230,961), North Carolina (99,796), South Carolina (84,030), and Tennessee (81,646).
Conversely, the five states that lost the most residents were California (-343,230), New York (-299,557), Illinois (-141,656), New Jersey (-64,231), and Massachusetts (-57,292).
However, NAR report author Nadia Evangelou said that California remained “the most populous state,” with nearly 39 million residents statewide.
“Florida was the fastest-growing state in 2022, with an annual population increase of 1.9 percent within a year. In fact, that was the first time since 1957 that Florida’s population grew faster than anywhere else across the United States,” Ms. Evangelou stated.
“With most of these fast-growing areas located in the South, this region continues to be the most populous region, with nearly 130 million residents.”
Of the five states that lost the most residents, Democrats controlled all but Massachusetts, which had a Republican governor and a Democrat-controlled legislature.
“Unlike @chuckschumer’s New York, Florida’s low taxes and business-friendly environment is inspiring more job growth across the state. Florida is the best state to get a job and raise your family!” Mr. Scott stated on X on Feb. 3, 2023.
Data compiled by The Tax Foundation, an independent tax policy nonprofit, shows that New Yorkers faced the highest burden in 2022, with 15.9 percent of the net product in the state going to state and local taxes.
While Florida’s overall tax rate was 9.1 percent, it is one of nine states that have no individual income tax.
Florida’s Legislature passed a bill, signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis on May 6, 2022, that provided residents with 10 sales tax holidays. Florida’s homeowners also received tax breaks.
