Ron DeSantis stood before one of the country’s most powerful gatherings of business minds Monday and delivered a message that was equal parts boast and barb — aimed squarely at the man now running America’s largest city.
The Florida governor, speaking at the 2026 Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, awarded New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani an unofficial title during a fireside chat that covered taxes, migration, and the future of American cities.
DeSantis called Mamdani one of his “realtors of the year.”
The quip was not accidental. DeSantis, a former 2024 Republican presidential contender, used the moment to argue that progressive leadership in cities like New York, Chicago, and across California is accelerating a taxpayer exodus that ultimately benefits Florida.
“I don’t think it’s good that, like, one guy gets elected mayor and then people feel like they have to flee the city,” DeSantis said, speaking directly about Mamdani.
He went further, contending that residents of those cities have not been met with solutions — but with leadership that deepens existing problems.
“We’d have people come down to Florida all the time, and they responded to all those problems, not by correcting the problems, but electing somebody who was exacerbating the problems,” DeSantis said.
A specific flashpoint emerged during the conversation — a video Mamdani posted last month showing the mayor standing outside billionaire Ken Griffin’s penthouse at 220 Central Park South.
Mamdani recorded the clip to promote Governor Kathy Hochul‘s proposed pied-à-terre tax, which would apply to non-resident-owned properties valued above $5 million.
DeSantis used that moment as a centerpiece of his critique.
Griffin, the founder of hedge fund giant Citadel, relocated his firm from Chicago to Miami in 2022. DeSantis argued that move has delivered substantial economic and philanthropic dividends to Florida.
“(Griffin) has brought jobs, business, all that tax base” to the state, DeSantis said. He added that Griffin has directed “probably hundreds of millions of dollars philanthropically to organizations in Florida, which, if he wasn’t a Florida resident, would probably give them somewhere else.”
DeSantis said Mamdani’s decision to film outside Griffin’s private residence represented an escalation beyond policy disagreement.
“When you show up in front of somebody’s house and target them personally, that’s taking it to a point where, you know, is it reasonable to then think maybe they don’t want me around here?” DeSantis said.
The governor returned to his realtor analogy later in the conversation, broadening it beyond Mamdani alone.
“If you wanted to give realtor of the year, I wouldn’t pick anybody in Florida,” DeSantis said. “I would pick mayors in New York, in Chicago and some of these governors, they’re basically the best ambassadors for Florida that we could ever ask for. And we’ve seen it, and people have voted with their feet.”
On the question of his own political future, DeSantis declined to close any doors when asked about a potential 2028 presidential campaign.
“Who knows? Like, you never know,” he said. “I’m in my mid-forties. You know, maybe beyond that, I think that there’s a lot of runway.”
DeSantis pointed to several developments in Florida he credited to his administration. When he entered office, registered Democrats outnumbered Republicans in the state by 300,000 voters. That gap has since reversed, with Republicans now holding a 1.5 million-voter advantage.
Florida’s economy, DeSantis stated, has expanded from $1 trillion to $1.8 trillion during his tenure. He also cited universal school choice and a crime rate that has dropped to its lowest point in five decades.
“So we’ve got a good story to tell,” DeSantis said. “And we’re proud of the leadership.”
