EXCLUSIVE: Just two weeks after the Florida Chamber of Commerce launched a viral Times Square ad crowning New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as Florida’s “Economic Developer of the Year,” corporate decision-makers are answering the call.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Florida Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson said inquiries from executives in blue states — including a Rochester technology firm looking to escape New York’s tax burden for the “land of opportunity” — are pouring in as companies look to leave progressive governance.
“This immediately went national,” Wilson said. “We had people literally texting us saying, ‘Hey, I’m seeing this. This is amazing. Our country needs to have this discussion, of course, about free enterprise versus socialism.’”
“The response has been from all over the country. We’ve had companies from Washington, California, Illinois, of course, New York. This has really been a national reaction,” he added. “We’ve had former governors and state senators in other states. We’ve had members of Congress who saw this… contact us and say, ‘Okay, this is the conversation our country needs to have.’”
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After the billboard went live at the corner of Broadway and West 43rd Street, web traffic to the Chamber’s “Free Enterprise” campaign spiked by 500% to 600%, according to Wilson. He said inquiries from businesses, site selectors and public officials came at a rate of five to seven contacts per day, extending beyond New York.
“I received a call from a company in Rochester, a technology company in Rochester, New York, who’s very interested about getting out of New York and actually moving here to what they call the land of opportunity,” Wilson said.
A City Hall spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital in response to the ad that “by any metric, New York City’s economy under Mayor Mamdani is as strong as it’s ever been,” and said working-class New Yorkers are benefiting. Wilson disputed that assessment, citing fiscal pressures and tax structures that he argued disproportionately strain middle-class workers, including welders, electricians and nurses.
“This isn’t personal, and it’s certainly not partisan. This is a conversation about which is better for the everyday American: free enterprise or bigger government and less freedom, of course, with this whole [socialist] idea,” Wilson said. “New York City’s losing people, the New York City budget is not balanced, which is why they’re looking for new taxes.”
New York City adopted a $125.8 billion budget for fiscal year 2027 in June, though financial watchdogs have warned of structural budget gaps in future years. Its population remains below its 2020 Census level, despite growth in the latest annual estimate.
The municipal budget exceeds Florida’s $117.6 billion state budget by more than $8 billion, despite Florida having more than 23 million residents compared with roughly 8.3 million in New York City.
“If we’re talking about nurses and electricians and welders, right, the skilled trades that are so vital to America, what’s happening in New York City is they’re actually increasing the costs and decreasing their freedom,” he continued.
Wilson also compared purchasing power, pushing back on arguments that rapid population growth in Florida strains local infrastructure and raises housing prices and that higher salaries make blue states more attractive.
“Let’s say there’s an $80,000 [salary] welder that’s working in Ocala, Florida, where the median home prices are under $300,000. That’s an incredible life. You get to live in Florida with no income tax, some of the best schools anywhere. You’re an hour from a beach, okay? That same person living in New York City might make more money, but they can’t afford to live in New York City,” he said.
“The price of making more money is housing that you can’t afford, and an economy that wants to tax you more. And nobody wants to be in that environment.”
The Florida Chamber’s chief confirmed plans for a national rollout of its “Free Enterprise” campaign, adding that part of the strategy is keeping the next billboard location “a surprise,” with “plenty [of locations] to choose from,” including New Jersey, California, and cities like Minneapolis and Seattle.
“The whole idea is — what is tomorrow going to look like? What does the future look like? And so, that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to provide an innovation hotbed where we can see what the future of the country looks like,” Wilson said.
“And let me reiterate, we’re not looking to other states to fail. We want to learn from them if they get something right. And right now, Florida’s growing companies, we’re growing people, we’re growing taxable income. And really, that’s what we need to be competing for.”
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