Palm Beach County is courting New York City businesses with a new Times Square billboard campaign bearing a tongue-in-cheek message: “Dear NYC, It’s Not You. It’s Me. Love, The Palm Beaches,” alongside the tagline “Wall Street South.”
“It was meant to be satirical,” said Kelly Smallridge of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, the group behind the ads.
Palm Beach County has long pitched itself to New Yorkers, but Smallridge acknowledges that Zohran Mamdani’s recent mayoral win in New York City helped spur the latest effort.
“With the recent mayoral race, our phones lit up,” she said. “It really increased the number of inquiries. New York families want places where they can raise their children, run their businesses, and enjoy stability and low taxes.”
Business migration from the Northeast accelerated during the pandemic, and local leaders now hope to build on that momentum.
“The so-called “Mamdani effect is hard to quantify but clearly on people’s minds,” said Brian Seymour, an attorney with the Gunster law firm. “Wall Street South is real, and it’s not slowing down.”
Smallridge noted that the campaign isn’t aimed at poaching corporate executives, but rather at generating job growth for the region. Still, the influx of companies and workers has prompted concerns about rising housing costs.
“Unlike COVID, when prices jumped 30% in a year, that’s not happening now,” said Sasha Kraver, an agent with Douglas Elliman. “People are being priced out, but for someone coming from Manhattan, this area is still far more affordable.”
Source: FOX29 WFLX News
