The real reason why Palm Beach is booming

There is more to Florida than sunshine and low taxes. Freedom, for example. 

The New York Times notes in an article last weekend that Palm Beach is booming, so much so that there aren’t enough restaurant tables to accommodate all the affluent New Yorkers who have moved there, leading to a surge in private clubs. “They are chasing good health, sunshine, Florida’s no-income-tax status and, for the wealthiest among them, the elusive private club membership,” the newspaper enthuses. 

The Times story about Palm Beach’s new elite is a perfect example of both flawed logic — and sloppy journalism. Bristling with contempt — for men wearing excessive jewelry and “clothing so bright that it might be radioactive,” plebeian “women dressed more appropriately for a school board meeting than dinner in a resort town”— the newspaper is full of barbs, but only hints at the actual news: “During the early years of the pandemic, there was a 20% increase in New Yorkers moving to Florida,” it says. 

Getty Images

Florida has had lower taxes and more sunshine than New York for a long time. What changed was the advent of that damned virus — and the overbearing response to it in New York and other progressive-run cities. 

There were two kinds of COVID-inspired moves: The first, most common in cities such as Houston — meaning blue cities in red states — was city-to-suburb, newly remote workers seeking elbow room and space for home offices. Those moves were driven by COVID itself.

Shutterstock

The second kind of COVID move was cross-country. These shifts swelled the populations of places ranging from South Florida to Idaho. And these moves — which continue — are not driven primarily by the virus but by bad policy, beginning with a heavy-handed COVID response and continuing with schools and crime. 

As the Cleveland Fed has noted in its ongoing study of COVID relocations, the exodus gathered momentum as lockdowns endured, while “the protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd and others were cited for motivating some urban residents to leave. Most major cities experienced increases in violent crime during 2020, and crime rates have historically predicted migration changes. The proposed and enacted cuts to police funding were also cited as a reason to leave.”

TNS

Many people moving from states such as New York and Connecticut to Florida and Texas attributed their decisions not to COVID – but cumbersome and invasive COVID restrictions: Mask mandates, the continued shuttering of businesses, and extended school closures prominent among them.

In fact, the Fed’s study not only found that increasing crime sent residents running, but that there was a strong correlation between small-business closures and COVID relocations. In metro areas that saw more business closures and more extended shutdowns, more residents left. 

Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago has become a key social center for Palm Beach’s new elite, who often encounter the former president on-site and ready to mingle.

To be sure, cities such as New York suffered from COVID — but the evidence suggests very strongly that they also suffered more from bad COVID policy, with municipal and state authorities from Manhattan to Los Angeles exhibiting the worst combination: incompetence and heavy-handedness. People can take one or the other, but not both together. 

New York and Florida ended up with similar rates of COVID deaths, but Florida stuck by a much less authoritarian program. And people — such as those now rollicking in Palm Beach — took note. That is one reason Florida housing prices are up 80% over the past five years as markets such as Miami and the gilded enclave of Palm Beach have bucked the current nation-wide real estate retrenchment. 

Alamy Stock Photo

The wealthy — particularly older wealthy couples — have been the vanguard of the new post-COVID social reality, because they have the most freedom to move. But it won’t stop with the oldsters tearing it up at Mar-a-Lago’s disco night. Imagine a 22-year-old graduate deciding between a job in Manhattan or a job in South Florida. Even five years ago, New York would have been the obvious winner. But no more. 

And Gotham’s edge will only erode further as businesses continue to divest from places such as New York and Chicago and shift staff to locales where there is far more sun and far fewer busybodies. Goldman Sachs has a beachhead in West Palm Beach, Citadel has moved their entire operation to Miami, Virtu Financial is growing in Palm Beach Gardens, Blackstone bought $230 million worth of office space in Miami — and many less glitzy firms have made the move, too. 

Xinhua/Sipa USA

COVID exposed just how quickly so-called progressives will go autocratic when given an excuse — and the sort of people who can just uproot to Palm Beach are not going to forget the experience anytime soon. Sorry, Gray Lady, but nobody is moving to Palm Beach to watch Donald Trump play DJ at Mar-a-Lago or as an excuse to wear pink blazers. They don’t want to be bossed around by tinpot busybodies on the Upper West Side, and they don’t have to be.

After all, they call it “f–k you money” for a reason.


Football news:

<!DOCTYPE html>
Kane on Tuchel: A wonderful man, full of ideas. Thomas in person says what he thinks
Zarema about Kuziaev's 350,000 euros a year in Le Havre: Translate it into rubles - it's not that little. It is commendable that he left
Aleksandr Mostovoy on Wendel: Two months of walking around in the middle of nowhere and then coming back and dragging the team - that's top level
Sheffield United have bought Euro U21 champion Archer from Aston Villa for £18.5million
Alexander Medvedev on SKA: Without Gazprom, there would be no Zenit titles. There is a winning wave in the city. The next victory in the Gagarin Cup will be in the spring
Smolnikov ended his career at the age of 35. He became the Russian champion three times with Zenit

3:19 Diamondbacks World Series bettor four wins away from $1 million payout
3:09 Giants legend Carl Banks slams WFAN hosts for Kayvon Thibodeaux rip job
3:01 Struggling Oilers will be missing injured star Connor McDavid vs. Rangers
2:52 Elias Manoel notches hat trick as Red Bulls advance in playoffs
2:48 Disgraceful Karine Jean-Pierre’s words are just callous amid Hamas violence
2:46 SEAN HANNITY: The People's House is now officially back in business
2:42 At least 16 killed in shootings in Maine, law enforcement officials say
2:40 Georgia murder fugitive kills self when police on hunt for other escaped inmates show up at door
2:31 US Auto Workers Union Reaches Preliminary Deal With Ford
2:29 Jayson Tatum shades new Celtics teammate Jrue Holiday: ‘You old’
2:24 Magazine scrubs sections of Jake Sullivan’s essay praising Biden’s performance in the Middle East
2:21 Nets’ opening-night comeback falls short in last-second heartbreaker vs. Cavaliers
2:18 JESSE WATTERS: We have a compromised president in the White House
2:10 Kristaps Porzingis’ late heroics sink Knicks in crushing opening-night loss
2:09 FBI hindered Hunter probe — and David Weiss skipped briefing on Biden bribery allegations, US attorney testifies
1:54 At least 16 killed in shooting in Maine, law enforcement officials says
1:54 At least 16 killed in shooting in Maine, law enforcement officials say
1:51 Sterling Shepard in punt return mix vs. Jets despite Commanders muff
1:47 Craig Counsell’s true Mets intentions are about to become clear
1:45 Tim Wakefield's wife, Stacy, shares powerful message late husband left for her
1:41 Kyle Richards ‘taken aback’ by Mauricio Umansky, ‘DWTS’ partner Emma Slater holding hands: Something is ‘going on there’
1:37 Ford and UAW reach tentative agreement that would end 6-week strike
1:36 LAURA INGRAHAM: This is a propaganda victory for Hamas
1:35 Actor Zachery Ty Bryan pleads guilty to felony assault stemming from domestic violence arrest
1:26 NYC college's Jewish students seen locked inside library as anti-Israel protest moves through building
1:24 Blackpink’s Jisoo and actor Ahn Bo-hyun split after brief romance: report
1:20 Police respond to active shooter in Lewiston, Maine; medical center treating 'mass casualty event'
1:20 At least 22 dead, up to 60 wounded in mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine
1:20 Stream It Or Skip It: ‘30 Coins’ Season 2 on Max, The Return Of This Ambitious Religious Horror Series From Spain (Now With More Paul Giamatti!)
1:19 Panthers' Frank Reich voices support for QB Bryce Young amid winless start: 'We got the guy we wanted'
1:17 NYC driver, 40, charged with attempted murder for shooting at off-duty detective
1:15 Alligator gar caught in Texas weighing 283 pounds shatters multiple records: 'Four in one fell swoop'
1:06 Sen. Tim Scott calls for the deportation of foreign students supporting Hamas 
1:06 More than 10 dead, dozens injured in Lewiston, Maine mass shooting, sources say
1:04 Jets’ defensive line looking to up sack numbers in battle vs. Giants
1:03 John Stamos reveals what Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen said at Bob Saget’s funeral: ‘It was so beautiful’
1:01 See ‘The Crown’ recreate Princess Diana’s historic landmine walk
1:00 Joe Rogan expresses nostalgia for Trump era, says country was 'without a doubt' better than under Biden
1:00 Erika Jayne Reveals ‘RHOBH’s Biggest Pot-Stirrer Now That Lisa Rinna Is Gone: “I Think We All Have Moments”
0:56 US, Australia Reaffirm Shared Values, Cooperation Against Chinese Ambitions 
0:56 Hunter Biden missing from state dinner guest list after backlash for attending others amid legal issues
0:55 Rams coach Sean McVay invokes 'higher power' when talking newborn son: 'There's something special going on'
0:47 Alexis Lafreniere finally could be primed for Rangers’ breakout
0:46 Giant pandas to leave the National Zoo in D.C. for China earlier than expected
0:43 Fans slam Mauricio Umansky for telling Kyle Richards he won’t ‘allow’ any more tattoos
0:42 ‘Southern Charm’ alum Kathryn Dennis’ SUV involved in alleged hit-and-run at elementary school
0:35 No sex please, we’re Gen Z — young viewers want deeper, more unique relationships in film, on TV: study
0:34 Cooper Union barricades Jewish students inside library as pro-Palestine protesters bang on doors
0:34 Active shooter situation in Lewiston, Maine: Police
0:34 UAW reaches tentative labor agreement with Ford
0:33 Giants’ Andrew Thomas practices lightly but unlikely to face Jets
0:31 Active shooter situation in Maine, city residents told to 'stay inside with doors locked'
0:28 Falcons head coach dismisses concerns after Bijan Robinson's surprisingly low usage: 'There's nothing'
0:24 AI predicts a third of breast cancer cases prior to diagnosis in breakthrough mammography study
0:24 UAW reaches tentative deal with Ford: Sources
0:19 Sean McVay’s wife Veronika Khomyn gives birth to baby boy
0:18 Ex-‘incel’ threatened to shoot up ‘chads and stacies’ at University of Arizona: feds
0:17 Florida duo allegedly stabbed man repeatedly, threw him over bridge, stole car and set it on fire: authorities
0:12 Who is Rep. Mike Johnson, the new House speaker?
0:11 Yankees have had 'preliminary' conversations to trade for Juan Soto: report
0:09 California man breaks into Jewish family's home, threatens to kill them, yells 'Free Palestine'
0:08 ‘Breakfast Club’ host DJ Envy has no apologies for promoting a con man newly arrested for fraud
0:08 Biden team sees 2024 opportunity with GOP's new speaker, and more campaign takeaways
0:07 UAW closing in on tentative labor agreement with Ford
0:05 Biden must stop using defense partnerships as an excuse to cut Pentagon spending
0:02 Shakira fans blame karma after singer’s ex Gerard Piqué falls into stage hole: ‘Don’t disrespect the stage queen’
0:00 Obama’s warning to Israel: Letters to the Editor — Oct. 26, 2023
0:00 Clarence Thomas loan for luxury RV was forgiven, Senate Democrats say
0:00 ACLU sues Tennessee for 'criminalizing HIV' with strict prostitution laws
23:59 Who is Rep. Mike Johnson, the House GOP's latest speaker nominee?
23:56 White House state dinner celebrates Australia ties, nods to Israel-Hamas war
23:56 Drone video shows Mexican drug cartels throwing explosives along Texas southern border
23:54 Bear attacks security guard in Aspen hotel, remains on the loose, Colorado wildlife officials say
23:51 Beyoncé shares rare video talking to fans as she unboxes her new perfume: ‘It’s finally here’
23:48 'The Young and Restless' star Christian LeBlanc reveals cancer diagnosis after 'fans caught' sign of disease
23:44 Diana Nyad goes the distance in new film on Cuba-Florida swim feat
23:41 Jewish American students outraged by rising antisemitism in US amid Hamas terror attacks on Israel
23:39 Mike Johnson Won The Worst Job In Washington: Speaker of a Broken House
23:38 Lindsay Clancy, Massachusetts mother who strangled her 3 children, researched 'ways to kill,' court docs say
23:38 Jets’ matchup with Giants a reminder of how quickly things change
23:32 Nikki Haley rips Biden over antisemitism on college campuses — and vows to fix it
23:30 Mel Tucker sexually harassed Brenda Tracy, Michigan State investigation reveals
23:29 Brian Austin Green slams ‘DWTS’ for excluding fiancée Sharna Burgess from Len Goodman tribute
23:24 LeBron James' minutes restriction likley the new norm as superstar enters new chapter
23:21 FDA looking into claim woman died after drinking Panera Bread lemonade
23:20 North Dakota Legislature rewrites budget bill, ending special session in 3 days
23:19 'Squad' Democrats vote against condemning 'barbaric' Hamas attack on Israel
23:18 Wisconsin officials pass new wolf management plan, but population goal absent
23:17 UN chief’s justification for Hamas attacks shows the organization is worse than useless
23:16 Former Congressman Mark Walker drops out of North Carolina gubernatorial race to launch Congressional bid
23:15 Over 70 left ill following multi-state salmonella outbreak tied to onions
23:14 Husband of Cardi B’s manicurist charged with setting wife’s new NYC salon on fire
23:10 Elon Musk rolls out audio, video on X as he seeks to make it an ‘everything app’
23:09 UnScientific American, Trump is yesterday’s man and other commentary
23:09 Customer freed after spending night trapped inside NYC bank vault
23:07 ‘F–k Israel’ graffiti scrawled across Cornell University campus sidewalks
23:03 Dennis Quaid to host Fox Nation series 'Top Combat Pilot' debuting in November
23:00 Don La Greca goes off on ‘weakling’ Chris Russo’s retirement ‘gimmick
23:00 New report shows a majority of students attend schools with high or extreme levels of chronic absence
23:00 Biden administration pushes for a humanitarian 'pause' in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza