- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis scoffed at efforts to bring Twitter to the state.
- DeSantis stated that a Twitter headquarters in Florida would increase the cost of living.
- Twitter’s headquarters are in San Francisco, but it has received calls from other states to move.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has discouraged Twitter from bringing its headquarters to the state following Elon Musk’s privatization of the platform, Jacksonville-based News4JAX reported.
At a press conference on Monday, DeSantis said the company will generate $15 million to $20 million in profit for the state when Musk officially owns the platform due to the state’s investment in Twitter. But he said welcoming the company to the state would result in a higher cost of living for Sunshine State residents.
“In Florida, I think we’ve done very well, particularly in the last few years, attracting companies that are producing things,” DeSantis said. “Importing a tech company from San Francisco hasn’t been high on our list. I think what happens is that they tend to come in, they drive up the cost of living for everyone else. Yes, they enjoy our lower taxes, but you you know, what are they actually providing?”
Twitter approved Musk’s offer to buy the company for $43 billion on April 25. Musk received calls from lawmakers and voters in different states to move Twitter’s headquarters from San Francisco.
Opposite DeSantis, some Florida lawmakers and residents have encouraged Musk to move to Florida.
“Join me in inviting @elonmusk to make @Twitter the freest state in the nation! Florida would benefit the company as a whole – we have no state
income tax
and the perfect business climate. Time to book a one way ticket (SIC),” Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said in a tweet.
—Jimmy Patronis (@JimmyPatronis) April 29, 2022
Patronis has created a website where residents can sign to approve relocation.
In Texas, Congressman Tan Parker said he would “roll out the red carpet” for Musk if he moved the company’s headquarters there. Texas is home to many of Musk’s companies, including Tesla, SpaceX and the Boring Company.
Musk has stated that he does not own a home and frequently stays at friends’ houses.
“This is a guy who’s been successful in just about every venture he’s ever done. And so he’s going to do it, our state will benefit, we’ll get, I think $15, $20 million profit from our pension fund. But then he’ll make it the company more valuable, I have no doubt about that,” DeSantis said at the news conference.
DeSantis did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.