Jason Delgado
New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued a warning Wednesday to Florida’s political leaders: “Watch out.”
Speaking at a Brooklyn press conference, the former cop-turned Mayor said he is trying to “steal” Florida businesses and resettle them in the Big Apple.
The effort, Adams suggested, is retribution.
“They’ve been doing it to us for a long time,” Adams told reporters. “They’ve been coming to New York, taking our businesses away.”
The remarks, prompted by a reporter’s question, mark the latest exchange between Florida and the Big Apple.
Opposed to legislation critics call the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, New York City unveiled billboards in Florida this week urging residents to decamp to the five boroughs. The campaign targets some of Florida’s largest cities: Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and West Palm Beach.
Campaign officials expect the billboards to reach roughly five million Floridians.
“I am the Mayor of New York City, but I have a message for Florida’s LGBTQ+ community — come to a city where you can say and be whoever you want,” Adams previously said of the campaign.
Adams’ criticism of the measure, known formally as the Parental Rights in Education Bill, continued Wednesday at the press conference. He lamented the bill as “political posturing” and unnecessary, asserting that sex education in kindergarten through third grade is nonexistent.
The bill, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed in late March, specifically bans instruction on “sexual orientation or gender identity” in those grades.
“I believe, whenever someone attempts to bully someone, that you need to stand up and protect them,” Adams said without namechecking DeSantis.
While Adams said he enjoys “rivalries with other states,” DeSantis’ office mocked the billboards as a favor to Florida.
In a statement, DeSantis Press Secretary Christina Pushaw, welcomed those opposed to the bill to pack their bags.
“If anyone is so upset about our Governor defending parental rights and protecting young children from inappropriate instruction about sex and gender theory that they want to leave Florida for a crime-ridden socialist dystopia, I am quite confident our state will be better off without them,” Pushaw said in an email.
This month’s dust-up isn’t the first time New York and Florida locked horns. DeSantis and former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo often sparred over alternative approaches to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two, at the time, were cable news fixtures. Cuomo resigned in August amid a sexual harassment scandal and mounting public pressure.
DeSantis also is no stranger to Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The pair often conflict regarding political policies and priorities and are widely viewed as presidential candidates in the near future.
8 comments
PeterH
April 6, 2022 at 2:50 pm
Business boycotts will target Florida. It’s the penalty we taxpayers must pay to keep political grifters in our legislative body and Governor’s mansion.
Walpurgis
April 6, 2022 at 4:22 pm
“a crime ridden socialist dystopia” , says the nominal Governor. Let no one ever wonder why this whining grandstander lowered Florida state flags at half staff for Rush Limbaugh. Dumb ‘em down and rile ‘em up: that’s the playbook. Emotion over rationality. Make people fearful, and anger is the reliable response. Though this nominal Governor distinguished himself at Harvard, they couldn’t teach him to have a conscience or a soul.
Walpurgis
April 6, 2022 at 6:06 pm
The nominal Governor of Florida needn’t have gone to Harvard to learn that creating fear and harnessing the resulting anger is a sure fire strategy. The nominal Governor is a whining grandstander, like Rush Limbaugh, for whom Florida state flags were lowered at half staff. Pathetic.
Walpurgis
April 6, 2022 at 6:07 pm
The nominal Governor of Florida needn’t have gone to Harvard to learn that creating fear and harnessing the resulting anger is a sure fire strategy. The nominal Governor is a whining grandstander.
Robert Olson
April 7, 2022 at 8:24 am
After reading the above 3 statements, I must preclude that Florida has liberal/socialists that will try to destroy anything good being done to protect people. Just think if their permissive thoughts actually ruled the day. Thank you Governor Desantis.
PeterH
April 7, 2022 at 12:24 pm
According to Olson ….Republicans are the saviors of America’s economy!
Reagan took the Deficit from 70 Billion to 175 Billion
Bush took it to 300 Billion
Clinton returned it to Zero
Bush 43 took it from zero to 1.2 trillion
Obama halved that to 600 Billion
Trump has it over a Trillion already and with the “TaxCut” on it’s way to 2.5 to 3 Trillion
Republican say “Democrats Cause Deficits”
America is
23 in education.
37 in healthcare.
34 in raising family index.
No high-speed train.
Highest number of homeless people.
Highest number of incarcerated people. 78% of people live paycheck to paycheck. Stock market is not economy of Americans! Where 90% of money belongs to top 10% of the population, it’s a wallet for the rich.
Walpurgis
April 7, 2022 at 4:58 pm
Congratulations to you for surviving another day of assiduous assault on your Constitutionally guaranteed rights by radical leftist socialist globalist radical Communist leftist socialist radical leftist Communist radicals!
Don’t Look Up
April 7, 2022 at 11:34 am
BLACK LIVES MATTER
https://www.sj r.com/story/news/local/2022/04/06/springfield-police-chief-moves-have-former-officer-decertified/7265995001/
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