California’s loss is Florida’s gain

California’s loss is Florida’s gain

2022 was no different as over the last few years, California has seen what people are calling a “mass exodus” of citizens leaving to other states. Meanwhile, Florida is a state that is continuing to grow a massive population.

Since 2021, California has lost over 340,000 more people than they gained. Most people were leaving due to taxes, high living expenses, and restrictions in the state that are not seen anywhere else.

California's population declined for a third straight year in 2022. Gavin Newsom has made the greatest state in the country the most popular state to leave.
— Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) December 22, 2022

Florida, on the other hand, is seeing an increase in citizens. 737, 945 people moved to the Sunshine State, led by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), between April 2020 and April 2022.

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) has seen a record number of outgoing citizens from his state over the last few years. Many have contributed this to the severe COVID lockdowns that were enforced from when the virus first broke out.

2) Texas (+231k) & Florida (+319k) accounted for over 60% of Migration to the South.

But states like Tennessee and South Carolina also set records for people moving in in 2022. 📈

The losses in the West were mainly related to California. 📉 pic.twitter.com/HfgOCsBHc7
— Nick Gerli (@nickgerli1) December 24, 2022

Newsom’s own in-laws had also relocated from California to Florida in June of 2020, around the same time that Newsom was enacting some of the country’s strictest COVID restrictions.

The two governors have often called each other out, with Newsom saying that “freedom is under attack” in Florida, urging people to move from there to California. Meanwhile, DeSantis pointed out the number of people leaving California due to “terrible governance.”

“When families are uprooting from the Pacific coast to go almost 3,000 miles in search of a better life, that’s telling you something,” DeSantis said. “We’ve created a citadel of freedom here that has attracted people and we’re proud of it, but let’s just be clear, California is driving people away with their terrible governance.”

The rivalry between the two governors and states is only expected to increase as both governors are expected to make a presidential run.