Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, speaking at the 2026 Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, on Monday, characterized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as one of his "realtors of the year." The comment came during a fireside chat that explored topics including taxation, interstate migration patterns, and the future trajectories of American cities. DeSantis utilized the platform to argue that the governance approaches in progressive-leaning cities, such as New York and Chicago, and throughout California, are inadvertently catalyzing an outflow of taxpayers and businesses that ultimately serves to Florida's advantage.
"If you wanted to give realtor of the year, I wouldn’t pick anybody in Florida. I would pick mayors in New York, in Chicago and some of these governors, they’re basically the best ambassadors for Florida that we could ever ask for. And we’ve seen it, and people have voted with their feet." — Ron DeSantis, Florida Governor
During his address, DeSantis directly referenced Mayor Mamdani, stating, "I don’t think it’s good that, like, one guy gets elected mayor and then people feel like they have to flee the city." He elaborated on this perspective, contending that residents in these urban centers have not witnessed effective solutions to their challenges. Instead, he suggested, they have encountered leadership that exacerbates existing problems. "We’d have people come down to Florida all the time, and they responded to all those problems, not by correcting the problems, but electing somebody who was exacerbating the problems," DeSantis remarked.
A specific point of contention highlighted by DeSantis was a video posted by Mayor Mamdani the previous month. The video depicted Mamdani outside the penthouse of billionaire Ken Griffin at 220 Central Park South, promoting Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposed pied-à-terre tax. This tax would apply to non-resident-owned properties valued above $5 million. DeSantis presented this incident as a central piece of his critique. Griffin, the founder of the hedge fund giant Citadel, notably relocated his firm from Chicago to Miami in 2022. DeSantis posited that this relocation has yielded significant economic and philanthropic benefits for Florida.
DeSantis asserted that Griffin’s move has "brought jobs, business, all that tax base" to Florida. He further added that Griffin has directed "probably hundreds of millions of dollars philanthropically to organizations in Florida, which, if he wasn’t a Florida resident, would probably give them somewhere else." The Florida governor suggested that Mayor Mamdani’s decision to film outside Griffin’s private residence escalated beyond a policy disagreement into personal targeting. "When you show up in front of somebody’s house and target them personally, that’s taking it to a point where, you know, is it reasonable to then think maybe they don’t want me around here?" DeSantis stated.
The "realtor of the year" analogy was later broadened by DeSantis to encompass other municipal leaders. He remarked, "If you wanted to give realtor of the year, I wouldn’t pick anybody in Florida. I would pick mayors in New York, in Chicago and some of these governors, they’re basically the best ambassadors for Florida that we could ever ask for. And we’ve seen it, and people have voted with their feet." This statement underscored his argument that policies in these jurisdictions are inadvertently driving residents and businesses toward Florida.
DeSantis also addressed questions regarding his own political future, declining to rule out a potential 2028 presidential campaign. "Who knows? Like, you never know," he said. "I’m in my mid-forties. You know, maybe beyond that, I think that there’s a lot of runway." He then highlighted several developments in Florida that he attributed to his administration's leadership. When he assumed office, registered Democrats reportedly outnumbered Republicans in the state by 300,000 voters. That demographic gap has since reversed, with Republicans now holding a 1.5 million-voter advantage.
Economically, DeSantis stated that Florida’s economy has expanded from $1 trillion to $1.8 trillion during his tenure. He also cited the implementation of universal school choice and a crime rate that has reportedly dropped to its lowest point in five decades as key achievements. DeSantis concluded his remarks on Florida's performance by saying, "So we’ve got a good story to tell. And we’re proud of the leadership."
