Wall Street Journal
Letter to the Editor: Sen. Rick Scott
September 17, 2020

Regarding your editorial “A Plea to Save New York” (Sept. 12): For years, New Yorkers have been flocking to Florida to escape oppressive taxes and regulations, as have others in liberal states around the country. Americans are choosing states like Florida over states like New York. They don’t want to be told what size soda they can buy. They don’t accept crime-ridden streets. And they don’t want to be overtaxed because their state and city can’t manage their own budgets.

Andrew Cuomo and I got elected governor at the same time, and took opposite paths. Over my eight years as governor, I cut more than $10 billion in taxes and slashed more than 5,000 burdensome regulations. Florida businesses created nearly 1.7 million jobs, we paid off a third of our state debt and invested in public safety, education, transportation and the environment.

Gov. Cuomo and his frenemy at City Hall, Bill de Blasio, raised taxes, increased debt, continued burdensome regulations and cut funding for law enforcement.

Now, instead of making the tough choices to get his state on the right path, Gov. Cuomo has his hand out to the federal government for a bailout. He wants the hardworking people of Florida to pay for his bad decisions. He’s threatening even higher taxes for his citizens. Gov. Cuomo just doesn’t get it.

States are competing with each other and New York is losing. A thousand Americans are moving to Florida every day from tax-happy states like New York, New Jersey, Illinois and Connecticut. To our new residents: Welcome to the Sunshine State. I think you’ll be very happy here.

Sen. Rick Scott (R., Fla.)

Naples, Fla.