FL Sheriff Welcomes New Yorkers Unhappy With NYC Mayoral Election Results

VOLUSIA COUNTY, FL — A Florida sheriff has a suggestion for New Yorkers unhappy with Zohran Mamdani’s historic win to become New York City’s next mayor: consider a move to the Sunshine State.

Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, defeated former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa on Tuesday, Patch reported. The Queens assemblyman will be the city’s first Muslim mayor, the first person of South Asian descent to hold the role and its youngest mayor in more than a century.

“If you’re an NYC resident or a great NYPD officer unhappy with the results of tonight's Mayoral election, let me be the first to invite you into the welcoming arms of Volusia County, FL,” Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood wrote in a Tuesday night social media post. “To my NYPD friends, if you want to come to work in an organization that is cutting edge, innovating every day, a place where you’re appreciated by the community and supported by the elected officials, then check out theVolusia Sheriff's Office and take a look at how we’re getting the job done.”

Chitwood also spoke to business owners, writing that those “looking for a safe, growing community, a great environment to do business and a fantastic place to raise your family, take a look at Volusia County.”

And he appealed to all New Yorkers, in general, in his post.

“To all New Yorkers, if you're looking for a better quality of life, from education, to the outdoors, to the beautiful weather, check out Volusia County. We are open for business. Tonight's election is not the end. It can be the beginning of a new life,” Chitwood wrote.

Isaac Toledano, CEO of BH Group Miami, a high-end real estate development company, told CBS that he expects an exodus of New Yorkers unhappy with the election results to consider a move to South Florida.

"We already see a lot of New York buyers, and their brokers and agents, and representatives, already looking to buy real estate and getting information," he said.

Toledano told CBS that his clients are worried about rising taxes — including a proposed 2 percent tax increase on the city’s highest earners — and worsening crime with Mamdani’s election.

He told Fox Business that his company closed on more than $100 million in deals with concerned New York buyers in recent months, which is about twice the amount of signed contracts he closed on last year.

"I think the election accelerated how people make decisions," Toledano said, adding, "This unknown in what's coming, and the fact that Mamdani said loud and clear what he's going to do and what he believes is the right thing for New York, make[s] a lot of people very nervous.”

This is “good news” for South Florida, he said. “A lot of the buyers in this market [are] coming wealthier, stronger financially. A lot of people made a lot of money in the last five, six years in the stock market, crypto, online businesses. So people are coming to Florida when their pockets are full and bank accounts, and their stock portfolio is doing really good."