Boca Raton mayor predicts corporate exodus from New York if socialists win

Republican Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer told Fox News Digital that if socialist Zohran Mamdani wins New York’s mayoral race next month, Florida could see a new wave of businesses relocating.

“The threat of people leaving high-tax, high-crime jurisdictions like New York and other places is real,” Singer told Fox News Digital.

“This has been happening for years and Boca Raton has benefited from many companies bringing their headquarters and good paying jobs here. I think the threat is even more real. People are already preparing to leave ahead of the Mamdani election and if the polls go as expected in the coming weeks we will see a lot more people looking to locate their businesses here and create jobs in Boca Raton.”

Mamdani’s socialist economic policies, as well as his adoption of communist discourses such as “seizure of the means of production” and abolish private propertywere the focus of his critics, who warned that his victory would have a negative impact on businesses in New York, the world’s financial capital.

“ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK”: RESEARCHER PREDICTS BUSINESS EXODUS TO NYC IF ZOHRAN MAMDANI WINS

Democratic candidate for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks to supporters at a poll kickoff event in Prospect Park on August 17, 2025. (Deirdre Heavey/Fox News Digital)

“It’s hard to predict how bad the economy will be, but Mamdani doubled down in last week’s debate and said it’s time to raise taxes, and he was grateful for that,” Singer said. “When he proposes a 17% marginal tax rate for New York City residents between state and local taxes, that’s 17% that they can just forgo by moving here and with jobs becoming more mobile thanks to technology and with companies finding great office space here, there’s less and less reason for people to stay here.”

Singer continued: “I think in a year you’re going to see a substantial exodus of businesses able to move. In two years we’re going to see depressed values, more unemployment, higher crime. And in four years? We don’t know. I think at that point they’ll be ready to have a new mayor if what we’re expecting in November happens.”

Singer praised Boca Raton’s business climate, including the lowest property tax rate of any full-service city in Florida, as well as the state’s lack of income tax.

“People say, well, we want to join you. Since Mamdani won the primary in June, we’ve had a lot of overseas outreach, as well as some marketing to the New York market that’s been effective,” Singer said. “And we have companies ranging from financial services to FinTech to AI to quantum computing and many others considering locating here.”

Singer, who spent years as a lawyer in New York, said “many” of his contacts in the city were “very concerned” about the possibility of a Mamdani victory.

“They sought to explore a better life in Boca Raton, and we’re going to continue to see that in places where taxes and regulations are lower, where business is welcome, that don’t scare people with crazy ideas and the idea that you can tax people indefinitely and without limits before they start to react,” Singer said, adding that New York City “is not a public as captive as some think.

“I think that’s going to be demonstrated in the months and years to come.”

CUOMO WARNS ‘NO ONE LEFT’ IN NEW YORK IF MAMDANI BECOMES MAYOR

Mayor Scott Singer of Boca Raton, Florida on January 27, 2025. (Getty Images)

Singer also spoke to Fox News Digital about the public safety contrast between Boca Raton and New York, which he sees as another reason New Yorkers will consider Florida, especially given Mamdani’s past calls to defund the police, which many of his critics say he hasn’t backed down on enough.

“In Boca Raton, we have exceptional public safety,” Singer said. “Our crime numbers have continued to decline from what was a 40-year low, despite an increase nationally, and I think that contrasts with what you see in New York.”

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Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during a town hall debate on October 16, 2025 in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, swimming pool)

Singer, who chairs the America First Policy Institute Mayor’s Council, told Fox News Digital that Boca Raton is a city that prioritizes public safety and financially supports its police.

“Contrast that with a candidate who has made repeated comments about defunding the police and who has criticized public safety,” Singer said. “We support public safety in Boca Raton and I think ultimately that’s what a lot of people will choose. It’s not just taxes. It’s public safety, it’s quality of life. I think we offer all of that in Boca Raton and I think there are mayors across this country who offer a counter to what you see in some of these bigger cities.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Mamdani campaign for comment.