Businesses ditch Philadelphia for Florida over high taxes, crime

After one Philadelphia family spent three generations running an art gallery in the City of Brotherly Love, they claim they’ve found the “right time” to join the exodus to Florida.

“The political climates changed everywhere, and Florida is very business-friendly,” David David Gallery owner Carl David told FOX Business’ Jeff Flock in an appearance on “Varney & Co.” Thursday. “So the tax structure is more enticing, and I think that’s another factor as to why people are migrating down here.”

Between 2021 and 2022, Florida saw the second-largest influx of new residents in the country with more than 416,000 people.

Additionally, a new study conducted by Venture Smarter found Florida also has the highest number of small businesses in America, with more than 13,000 small businesses per 100,000 residents.

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David claimed that between his clientele and his family, he feels like one of the last people in his circle to make the move south.

“Our kids have moved down here and we’ve got a lot of friends down here. A lot of our clients have moved down here, so it seemed to be the right time, the right fit,” the business owner said.

“They’re law enforcement supporters, they’re ex-military, all the things that I really believe in strongly,” he continued. “And it’s important to us to support those people as well. So in the fact that we’re moving down here, we kind of want to share that experience with them.”

Philadelphia’s cost of living has also become “a lot more” than most can afford, according to David. In Florida, there’s no income tax and the state economy sits at a budget surplus.

“Living in Florida is not inexpensive, but it’s different,” the businessman clarified. “You get creature comforts here that you don’t always get up north. And whether it’s New York, it’s Connecticut, it’s Jersey, it’s Pennsylvania, it’s cold up there. And I’ve done so many years that we decided we wanted a kind of an easier way of living.”

Todd Dupont, who works for the Blue Line Moving company that’s relocating and transporting David’s art, claimed they specialize in moving Northeastern residents to the Sunshine State.

“People are leaving like crazy from the northeast going down to Florida. They’re just tired of the crime, the taxes,” Dupont said. “Residential and commercial, and they just want to be free down in Florida.”

And while David’s gallery never fell personally victim to crime or theft, the business owner acknowledged the city’s epidemic.

“We were well-armed, well-insured, and feeling fine,” he said. “I know that there’s crime everywhere, and it just depends on how well a municipality is managed and what they do with that crime.”

David’s gallery, which specializes in American and European 17th through 21st-century paintings, drawings, watercolors, and sculptures will undertake a new name in the Sunshine State and primarily be operated by the family’s fourth generation.

“It’s called Provident Fine Art. And we’re in the midst of moving that from one block to another, so we’re closed at the moment, but we’ll be back open again later [in] September,” he said.

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