Tens of thousands of New Yorkers have made the move to Florida due to the coronavirus pandemic

Sara Guando, 34, from Long Island, said the COVID-19 pandemic prompted her to move to Tampa in February.

“There’s a lot of work to be done outside,” Guando said.

Guando said she has always been frustrated by the high cost of living in New York, and the pandemic has put her in jeopardy.

“I don’t feel like I’m living on paychecks as much as I did on Long Island,” says Guando.

Guando said her Long Island landlord has also moved to Florida, and the three people she currently works with at the University of Tampa are from New York.

“It’s more shocking to meet someone who was born and raised in Tampa than it is to meet someone from New York, New Jersey,” Guando said.

Long Island pet sitter Beth Goldin is moving from home to Florida in October.

“Better taxes,” Goldin said. “No more winter. I gave away all my shovels.”

South Florida real estate agent Bonnie Heatzig said late 2020 is a peak time for New Yorkers looking to move to the Sunshine State.

“New York was closed, New Jersey was closed,” Heatzig said. “There are people who say, ‘I really want to go to Florida. I want to accelerate my plans.'”

Heatzig, Executive Director of Luxury Sales at Douglas Elliman in South Florida, said it’s not uncommon for New Yorkers to buy Florida properties they haven’t seen.

“These are people who are moving to South Florida to start their lives, to send their children to school, to start a new business,” Heatzig said. “These people stay here.”

Heatzig said some New Yorkers who worked remotely from Florida during the pandemic are now deciding to make the southern state their permanent home.

Heatzig said the main New York buyers in South Florida are from Manhattan, and many of them are maintaining second homes at the Big Apple.

“They’ve downsized their space in New York, and they’re making South Florida their primary home,” Heatzig said.

Martin Melkonian, assistant professor of economics at Hofstra University, said he believes the exodus from New York to Florida won’t be permanent for everyone.

“There are certain things about New York that are not true of any other part of the country,” says Melkonian. “For that reason, I think many of them will rethink their decision.”

Those with the Long Island Association also said they do not believe the moves are permanent and are solely related to the pandemic.

“While Florida may welcome these numbers as an exodus from New York southwards, there’s also a similar migration in the New York State metro area, where every person is living,” the association said. who are looking for the suburbs”.

The association says home prices on Long Island continue to rise, demonstrating that people want to move there, too.

At this point, her move to Florida is permanent, said Guando.

“If there was another place that could give me a future family, a better quality of life and this just feels like it,” Guando said.