TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis issued the following letter to statewide elected officials in California, following reports of a proposal that would double state taxes on California households and businesses. In the letter, the CFO argues that California leaders should just encourage their residents to leave the state rather than going through the “hassle” of passing a bill. The CFO’s letter was sent to Governor Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, Secretary of State Shirley Weber, Attorney General Rob Bonta, Treasurer Fiona Ma and Controller Betty Yee.
 
READ THE FULL LETTER BELOW

January 20, 2022
The Honorable Gavin Newsom
Governor of California
1021 O Street, Suite 9000
Sacramento, California 95814

Dear Governor Newsom:

We have seen recent reports that California is considering raising a whole host of taxes to pay for a government health care plan. I am writing to propose another strategy: you should save yourself all of the hassle and encourage the few productive and hardworking, Californians you have remaining to move to Florida. Trust me, it would be a lot easier than passing a bill. It would free up more of your time so that you could continue to break all of those lockdown mandates that you supported so much. 

My mom always said, “You can tell what a person wants, not by what they say, but by how they act.” It is clear by the actions of politicians in California that you want homelessness, you want people dependent on government, and you like the idea of having a bunch of looted amazon boxes along a railroad. Moreover, you do not want people starting and growing small businesses, and you do not want people to pursue their own dreams and ambitions because you like bureaucrats telling people what to do. To some degree, California’s leaders think of themselves more as prison administrators who control the day-to-day lives of people – otherwise known as “prisoners” – instead of presiding over a free people.

I know that because you are proposing taxes that – according to the Tax Foundation – would cost over $12,000 per household. The plan would also expand payroll taxes on employers, for employees making nearly $50,000, which is an incredibly effective way to keep businesses from adding people to their payroll, thereby hurting the middle class. This plan will inevitably create mass migration of your population from the West Coast to the Sunshine State, and I cannot support you enough in that effort.

The reality is each time states like California, New York and New Jersey play footsie with Marxism, Florida gets to cut even more taxes. Governor DeSantis, for example, has proposed a $1 billion cut in gas taxes to combat Biden’s inflation crisis. My economist believes the Governor’s gas tax cut proposal will equate to around a $200 average savings for Florida households, which is an idea you would hate. We haven’t run the figures yet, but I am willing to bet that over time your tax increase proposal would make the Florida Governor’s billion dollar tax cut effectively budget neutral.
 
The great news is that all of the hardworking people in your state that you do not want, or like, are beginning to get the message that they need to look elsewhere. The Californians who just want to be left alone to build a career and raise a family, are looking up and thinking, “Hey, Florida has beaches, trees and a Disney park too!”
 
Again, save yourself the headache of running a bill to shove more people out of your state, and instead encourage them to go to www.VISITFLORIDA.com so they can begin mapping out their exit strategy. I wish you all the luck.
 
Sincerely,
 
Jimmy Patronis
Chief Financial Officer