The digital billboard was installed at the corner of Broadway and West 43rd Street in Manhattan, one of the busiest intersections in the world, as part of the "Free Enterprise Florida" campaign promoted by the organization.
New York Post reported that according to data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the organization claims that Florida receives approximately $2.4 million per hour in net taxable income, while New York loses about $1.1 million per hour.
The Chamber of Commerce is a 100% private entity, founded in 1912 and exclusively financed through business memberships, donations, and events, with no ties to public funds or the state government.
Mark Wilson, president and CEO, explained the reasoning behind the action straightforwardly: "We wanted to thank him for the jobs, the companies, and the people that are being driven out of New York, and many of them are coming to Florida."
Wilson was careful to frame the campaign not as an attack on New York, but as a defense of the free enterprise model against what he described as the advance of socialism.
"Although Florida is winning right now, we don't want New York to lose. We hope that other states say 'no' to this move towards socialism and 'yes' to the policies on which this country was founded," he stated.
The official also dismissed the initiative as merely a rivalry between states: "This is not about scoring points or keeping track of the scoreboard between Florida and New York. It is really about trying to save our country from madness."
The backdrop is a sustained migration of New Yorkers to the south that surged during the pandemic and has not subsided. The trend continues into 2026, now with Mamdani at the helm of the New York City Hall.
Wilson warned that the logic behind Mamdani's policies is counterproductive: "What do people like Mayor Mamdani do? They want to increase taxes on those who remain, which only accelerates the exodus from places like New York."
In contrast, Wilson noted that Florida has cut taxes more than 50 times in the last 15 years, resulting in record tax revenues.
The Mamdani City Council dismissed the criticisms and defended the strength of the local economy. "By any metric, New York's economy under Mayor Mamdani is as strong as it has ever been," responded a spokesperson, citing the creation of more than 21,700 jobs in six months, an office market in Manhattan on track for its best year since 2000, and over $21 billion in venture capital raised so far in 2026, a 102% increase compared to the previous year.
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