Despite experiencing a pandemic population boom, nearly 500,000 Florida transplants decided to leave the state and move back north.
According to data analytics firm CoreLogic, there were nearly two homebuyers moving to Florida in 2023 for every one person leaving.
The devastation of hurricanes on property, rising housing costs, increased homeowners insurance rates, and politics have been some of the reasons behind the Florida reverse migration. It was estimated last fall that the damage from Hurricane Ian could be $47 billion in Florida.
Real estate website Zillow is calling the Sunshine State one of the more expensive states to buy homes due to the rise in prices by 60%.
NBC News interviewed Louis Rotkowitz, a transplant from New York, who bought a house in the West Palm Beach area in 2022 but found his commute with erratic drivers, rising homeowner costs, and the prevalence of guns as not ideal. He picked up and moved to North Carolina.
“Everyone is walking around with guns there,” he reportedly said.
Another transplant from Connecticut cited the lower salary and rising insurance costs as “hidden costs” and moved back north.
Oklahoma native Donna Smith told NBC that rising costs and politics drove her out of Florida to Pennsylvania.
“I don’t feel it is as oppressive. People don’t wear it on their sleeve like they did in Florida,” she said of her preference for Pennsylvania over Florida. “When you walk in a room, you don’t overhear a conversation all the time where people are saying, ‘Trump is the best.’”
Other transplants complained that they were unaware of the heat in Florida.
“I thought it would be warmer. I didn’t expect it to be literally 100 degrees at night,” Connecticut transplant Jodi Cummings said.
Floridians took to social media to mock the transplants and their decision to move north.
“Lol, born and raised in Florida. Only thing that makes it bad is the transplant Yankees,” one person said on social media.
“So, are you telling me people did not know Florida is hot in the summer and they get hurricanes?” a social media user said online.
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“Floridians everywhere: ‘Yeah, it’s true, this place sucks. Don’t come, we’re full!’” a Floridian wrote in reaction to NBC’s report.
Another person chimed in, “Imagine … not doing basic research on the place you’re moving to.”
