MIAMI — People in New York's Times Square recently may have noticed, among the many electronic billboards, images of a beach, blue water and a caption, "Miami Beach is open for business."
The ads are being paid for by a Florida developer who believes the election of Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City is an opportunity to lure wealthy residents and their businesses south.
"We have yet to see how the new mayor is going to do. But there's no question that there's a lot of surprise and shock," said Russell Galbutt, one of Miami Beach's biggest developers.
Galbutt's ad campaign builds on messaging from Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner on social media, which was directed at city residents unhappy with the election results.
"We're just highlighting, 'Hey, if you're looking for a law and order city with sunshine, with no state income tax, there's a lot of positives for why you should be here,'" Meiner told NPR. "The mayor-elect is a self-described socialist and I think there's a concern about the freedom of businesses to act as capitalist businesses need to. But there's also a concern by Jewish residents and businesses."
Mamdani alarmed some Jewish voters because of his support for Palestinian rights and critical views of Israel. Exit polls showed Mamdani received about a third of the Jewish vote in this month's election. His office did not return a request for comment on the billboard campaign.
Galbutt decided to fund an ad campaign out of frustration over what he views as economic stagnation at one of Florida's most popular resort destinations. After years of violence during spring break, which included some shootings, Miami Beach adopted tough measures two years ago that have been effective. But a decline in sales tax revenue and business closures since then show something else is needed, the developer said.
"Miami Beach went into an entire campaign to tell people that we didn't want spring breakers in Miami Beach any longer," Galbutt said. "But we never spent five cents or $5 on a campaign saying who we do want."
Meiner is more upbeat about the business climate in Miami Beach, pointing to a $30 million revitalization project underway to boost its Lincoln Road business district.
"We have Lamborghini ... opening up a showroom in Miami Beach. A Swiss watchmaker is coming here," he said. "There's a lot of investment coming here. And we're just highlighting for people who maybe hadn't thought of Miami Beach, that they should be."
Meiner said he's received mostly positive comments from residents about his push to attract more New Yorkers to Miami Beach. But he acknowledged he did get some pushback on social media.
"The negatives," he said, "were really directed like, 'Why are you trying to bring more residents here? We already have a lot of traffic.'"
Among Miami Beach residents, an informal survey found mostly support for a campaign to bring more New Yorkers to the city. Asked if Miami Beach needs more New Yorkers, retiree Neil Kahanovitz said, "Well, having come from New York, I wouldn't mind a few more."
Kahanovitz came to Miami Beach because he got tired of "the cold, the crowds, the crime and the high taxes." As for whether the election of a Democratic Socialist mayor would encourage more people to leave the city? "It's certainly not going to encourage them to stay," he said.
Michael Sprotzer, another Miami Beach resident, is skeptical that a wave of New Yorkers and their businesses will soon be heading south. Sprotzer, who works in real estate, noted some of the investment firms who during COVID moved their offices to South Florida, have since moved back to New York.
"I think maybe some people who are thinking about coming to South Florida, it will be a good impetus for them to do so," he said. "But I don't think people who love New York are all of a sudden going to move down here."
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