On June 9, The Epoch Times reported that Florida was the number one state in the nation that people moved to, while New York and California ranked first and second respectively for the states that have the most people moving to. they go. To those moving to Florida from the blue states, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says, “Do me a favor” and “don’t vote the way most people voted where they came from or where they will be. here what they had there. Guaranteed “.
One of the reasons cited by those fleeing their hometowns in the blue state was rising crime rates. According to Judd, the escalation in crime rates is a direct result of “police underfunding” moves in many Democratic-controlled states.
“Florida has had a Republican House, a Republican Senate and a Republican Governor for a long time,” Judd told The Epoch Times in a telephone interview. “So all you have to do is compare and contrast. You go to these areas where crime is through the roof, look at your representatives ”.
In April 2021, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the HB1 “Anti-Riot” bill. This new measure makes it a crime to tear down statues or monuments in the Sunshine State and gives the Florida governor and cabinet the authority to override the efforts of any other state official to cut law enforcement spending.
By contrast, in June 2020, the Portland City Council voted 3-1 to cut at least $ 15 million from the police bureau. The cut effectively eliminated 84 positions in the department.
So far this year, 37 homicides have been reported in the city, an increase of more than six times compared to the same period last year.
In November 2020, the Seattle City Council cut 18 percent of its police department budget. In January, Seattle saw a 48 percent increase in murders, the highest number in nearly 30 years. In May, 260 police officers decided to leave the Seattle police force.
Trust in law enforcement
“The good things that are happening in Florida don’t just happen,” Judd insisted. “If they did, those good things would be happening in Seattle and Portland. But when you create an environment in which criminal behavior is acceptable, that’s exactly what you get.
Judd also attributes the best security conditions in Florida to the public’s connection to law enforcement and effective leadership in government.
“When people lose trust and lose faith in the government or the police, they stop interacting with you,” Judd explained. “So you don’t know how high the crime rate is if people don’t call to tell you and people stop calling to tell you when you stop worrying.”
It’s the same sentiment shared by Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis.
“Florida sheriffs, who report directly to their citizens, are very good at holding chronic criminals accountable, while maintaining the trust of law-abiding citizens,” Nienhuis told The Epoch Times. “All of this has resulted in a steady decline in crime over the past 4 decades. This is critical to the growth of Florida, due to the fact that regardless of age or family status, everyone wants to live in a safe community. “
“Florida’s great weather and beaches have always attracted tourists,” added Nienhuis. “However, low taxes, common sense leadership in state government, and community support for law and order have made those tourists realize that Florida is also a great place to live, work. and make a family”.
Change voting habits
Judd agreed, saying that when you ask blue state migrants if they chose to move to Florida because of the hot weather, low taxes, and low crime rates, they always answer “yes.”
“Then do me a favor,” he says. “Welcome to Polk County. Welcome to Florida. But please don’t vote like you did in the north. You will still have warm weather in the winter, but you will not have low taxes and a safe community.
“We are definitely seeing the trend of people fleeing the blue states ‘closed’ by the ‘free state’ of Florida,” State House Representative Blaise Ingoglia, a Republican, told The Epoch Times. “They come here for the sun and the opportunities. I can only hope they leave any liberal ideology at the border. “
“You come for a reason,” Ingoglia reminded the migrants from the blue state. “Please, no ‘New York our Florida.’ Do not turn this great state into the state from which you fled.
When asked about the fears of some Floridians that immigrants from the Blue State will tarnish the freedoms of the Sunshine State, Judd admitted that “their fear is well founded” because people who vote in the Blue States do not seem to understand that officials They choose to enact the destructive policies that made them leave.
“None of the current policies and practices in the north just happened. It happened because they voted for the elected officials who created those policies or laws. “
To allay their fears, Judd counseled concerned Floridians to educate their new Blue State neighbors and explain that “all the good things we have in Florida didn’t just happen.”
“It was the people we elected to city commissions, county commissions and the state legislature that made good things happen,” Judd said. “If you live in a high-crime community, remove those officials.”
“Nothing else really matters if you’re not sure and you don’t feel safe,” Judd concluded. “A community cannot prosper if crime eats it alive.”
Welcome new residents
The Epoch Times asked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis what he would like to share with immigrants from the blue states.
“For the nearly 1,000 people who move to Florida each day,” DeSantis wrote in an email. “Welcome to Florida, I hope we can all work together to keep our state in the special place it is, an oasis of freedom in our country.”
“All Americans can learn from the mistakes made in lockdown states and not repeat those mistakes,” he added. “It won’t happen in Florida.”
“People who come to Florida from closed states can see for themselves how well we are doing here. If you look at voter registration trends in general, that’s a good thing; there is no indication that the people of Florida, newcomers and Floridian veterans, are straying from the principles that helped our state succeed. “
Judd also expressed his goodwill to Florida’s new immigrants: “Welcome to Florida. You are in a safe state, you are in a healthy state and we love that people come to our state. But don’t vote the way the majority of the people voted where you came from or will have here what you had there. Guaranteed “.
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