Part 9/12:
In New York, this decline is now accelerated, with affluent residents fleeing the city’s policies and social environment. Florida’s luxury waterfront properties—traditionally held on the market until Thanksgiving—are now selling at record speeds, driven more by buyers from outside the state than within. Ironically, many of these buyers are Floridians eager to preempt a likely surge in housing prices caused by the potential exodus of New York residents.
Some observers have even linked Mandani to a “COVID 2.0” effect, likening the influx of New Yorkers to a contagious virus pushing the population outward, transforming Florida into an independent “refuge” state. Florida is now cementing its reputation as a sanctuary state where people seek both freedom and economic opportunity.