Florida's CFO blasted New York for letting 'criminals run free' while shaking down job creators — warns businesses that it's too 'risky' in the Empire State, urges them to flee south

Safety first

A primary argument Patronis makes for relocating to Florida concerns safety. He urged New York business owners to consider their prospects of success in a state that, in his view, “shakes down job creators while letting criminals run free in the streets.”

This point was reiterated during his recent appearance on “Fox & Friends First.”

“Safety is the number-one attraction of why people come to the state of Florida,” Patronis remarked. “Your poor police officers are good men and women, but they're afraid to arrest somebody or they just won't, simply because your D.A. will not prosecute them.”

While Governor DeSantis has touted a 50-year low crime rate in Florida, this statistic has seen its share of scrutiny.

Time Magazine asserted that DeSantis was basing his claims about Florida’s crime rates on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s 2021 annual crime report, which the outlet considered to be “methodologically flawed,” citing inconsistencies in data reporting and collection.

The New York Times reported that Florida’s homicide rate “was roughly 50% higher than New York’s in 2021” and that Jacksonville and Miami “each had a homicide rate more than double New York City’s.”

Nevertheless, Census Bureau’s state-to-state migration flow data revealed that many New Yorkers didn’t mind heading south: in 2022, 91,201 people moved from New York to Florida.

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Risky business?

Patronis also weighed in on the fraud case against former U.S. President Donald Trump.

In a pivotal ruling by a New York judge, Trump and his company have been found guilty of fraudulently inflating the value of their assets, misleading banks and insurers. Trump has been ordered to pay nearly $355 million in fines.

Patronis interpreted the case's outcome as indicative of a hostile business environment.

“You've got an out of control Attorney General who has made it clear to what she has done to Donald Trump that she's willing to seize your assets if you don't play by our rules,” Patronis told Fox Business, referring to New York Attorney General Letitia James, who filed the lawsuit against Trump.

Patronis argued that conducting business in New York has become "risky," cautioning that investing in the Empire State now means "taking a chance" on not adhering to the "rules of the overlords."

When asked about the incentives Florida offers businesses considering relocation, Patronis responded, “We have got incentives through our Department of Commerce that we will be more than happy to sit down, but I'm happy to be your Realtor — you can reach out to me directly on X and I will show you what's so wonderful about doing business with the state of Florida.”