Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Monday he was not interested in enticing Twitter to move its headquarters to Florida because it would lead to a dramatic increase in the cost of living for residents of the Sunshine state. The move comes after Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis suggested moving Twitter’s headquarters to the state on social media and in an April 5 letter to Elon Musk.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
Petronis said he would introduce Musk to the state’s business development department and help him “find a perfect place to start moving Twitter’s headquarters to Florida.” Local officials also joined in. Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry last week called on Musk to move Twitter’s headquarters to the city.
But DeSantis said Monday: “Bringing in some tech companies from San Francisco is not our first choice.” When tech companies like Twitter relocate, he said, they drive up the cost of living for existing residents, and Florida will move to Instead, it focuses on attracting industrial and manufacturing companies.
“I’m very supportive of what Elon Musk is doing,” DeSantis said. “He’s going to make this company more valuable, I have no doubts about that, but I don’t want to bring it to Florida.”
Meanwhile, the state of Texas has also extended an invitation to Musk, calling on him to relocate Twitter’s headquarters to the state, saying it “will roll out a red carpet.”