The Florida Chamber of Commerce has launched a new billboard campaign in Chicago, naming Illinois Governor JB Pritzker as the 'runner-up' for its 'Florida Economic Developer of the Year' award. The campaign, which features billboards along the Stevenson Expressway (I-55), is part of the Chamber's broader 'Free Enterprise' initiative aimed at highlighting the migration of wealth, businesses, and residents from Illinois to Florida due to what the Chamber describes as unfavorable tax and economic policies in Illinois [1].
Florida Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson stated that the campaign is data-driven, citing that Florida has gained approximately 1.9 million residents while Illinois has lost between 75,000 and 100,000 residents over the same period. Additionally, Wilson claims that over $2 billion in taxable income has moved from Illinois to Florida [1]. The campaign also references high-profile corporate relocations, such as billionaire Ken Griffin moving Citadel from Chicago to Miami, attributing such moves to concerns over crime and high taxes in Illinois [1].
The Chamber's billboard campaign follows a similar effort in New York, where New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was named 'Florida Economic Developer of the Year' in Times Square. The Chamber asserts that progressive tax and economic policies in states like Illinois and New York are driving businesses and families to relocate to Florida [1].
No specific market reactions or analyst opinions are mentioned in the article. The campaign is positioned as a critique of Illinois' current economic and tax policies, with the Chamber arguing that these policies are detrimental to the state's economic health and population retention [1].
CONCLUSION
The Florida Chamber's billboard campaign in Chicago underscores ongoing concerns about Illinois' economic and tax policies, highlighting significant migration of residents and taxable income to Florida. While the campaign is intended to influence public perception and policy debate, no immediate market reactions or analyst forecasts are provided in the article.