TOTAL TROLL: Florida Official Thanks 'Economic Developer of the Year' Mamdani With Savage Times Square Billboard

A Florida business group has launched a digital billboard campaign in Times Square that sarcastically thanks New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for what it characterizes as policies driving jobs, businesses and residents from the city to Florida.

The Florida Chamber of Commerce unveiled the billboard Monday at Broadway and West 43rd Street, naming Mamdani Florida's "Economic Developer of the Year" With the message "Thanks for the jobs!"

Florida Chamber CEO Mark Wilson explained the initiative to Fox News Digital, saying "We wanted to thank him for the jobs, the companies, the people that they're pushing out of New York, and a lot of them are coming to Florida."

Wilson framed the campaign as highlighting economic policy differences between the states rather than simply mocking New York. "Even though Florida is winning right now, we're not looking for New York to lose. We're hoping that these other states will say 'no' to this move towards socialism and say 'yes' to the very policies that our country was founded on," He said. "This isn't about spiking a football or looking at the scoreboard about Florida versus New York. This is really about trying to save our country from crazy."

The Chamber is considering similar campaigns targeting other Democratic-led cities and states. Wilson cited Chicago, California and Minneapolis as potential targets, noting that New York City warranted the initial focus because "the mayor of New York City, obviously, is pushing that community into a direction that it's not good for the people who live there."

The campaign reflects years of migration from New York to Florida, accelerated during the COVID pandemic as remote work enabled greater relocation flexibility. IRS migration data shows New York recorded a net loss of 21,176 tax returns to Florida during 2022-2023. The Florida Chamber claims Florida gains approximately $2.4 million in net taxable income every hour while New York loses approximately $1.1 million per hour.

Wilson attributed the migration to New York's tax policies, stating "What do people like Mayor Mamdani do? They want to... increase taxes on the people who are left, which just further accelerates people leaving places like New York." He noted that "Florida's lowered taxes over 50 times in the last 15 years. And we have record revenues coming in because people want to be here."

Mamdani's administration rejected the characterization, with a spokesperson telling The Post: "By any metric, New York City's economy under Mayor Mamdani is as strong as it's ever been. We look forward to continuing to grow the economy while ensuring that working-class New Yorkers are benefiting from that growth."

City Hall reported adding more than 21,700 jobs in the past six months at more than twice the national growth rate, with finance and insurance employment up 1.9%. Manhattan's office sector recovery is on track for its strongest year since 2000, and New York City companies have raised more than $21 billion in venture capital this year, representing a 102% increase from the same period last year.