Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia expresses concern that New Yorkers moving to the state will bring leftist views and business-unfriendly policies. He brings a clear message to the new residents.
Florida's Gulf Coast community has seen a large influx of new residents from the Midwest driving the area's rapid growth.
The population of Sarasota County, Florida, has grown by 12.4% in the five years leading up to April 2025, according to Florida's Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR).
Westerners have flocked to the community to make permanent trips as they approach or begin retirement, following the path taken by many of the region's snowbirds who migrate to warmer climates during the cold Midwest winters.
“The influx of Midwesterners to Sarasota reflects a combination of factors that have been decades in the making, including the natural I-75 corridor, calm and accessible Gulf beaches and a climate that feels closer to the Midwest than the harshness of Miami,” Realtor.com chief economist Hannah Jones told FOX Business.
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Sarasota County, Fla., has seen a large influx of new residents over the past decade, many moving from the Midwest. (Stock)
While the influx of Midwesterners into the region began before the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic disruption caused by the pandemic helped accelerate the trend as remote work made it easier for those still working to migrate.
“What has accelerated that long-standing pattern is the pandemic, which has taken consumers out of their offices and given them the means and motivation to take action that may save us for retirement,” Jones said.
Data from the Census Bureau showed that about 1,585 people from Michigan moved to Sarasota County from 2018 to 2022, and other Midwestern states were not far behind. Illinois donated 1,399 transplants, and Ohio added 1,282 more.
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Sarasota remains in demand despite lower home prices in areas like Cape Coral and Tampa. (Octavio Jones/AFP via Getty Images)
Florida's BEBR data showed a total influx of 72,493 residents to Sarasota from 2020 to 2025. IRS data showing state-to-state flows from 2022-23 showed nearly 5,300 Midwesterners moved into the area and accounted for about 17.5% of new residents entering the Northeast, making the Northeast area the most new residents.
The influx of new residents initially overwhelmed Sarasota's housing market, and Jones noted that “the resulting wave of demand hit Sarasota hard: Inventory cratered, prices soared and the market briefly rewarded anyone willing to forego emergencies and close quickly.”
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Florida's population has grown during the COVID crisis when its economy remains relatively open compared to other states. (Zach Bennett/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Over time, adjusted markets and home prices in the area are so stable that Sarasota remains in demand despite having the highest listing price of $487,000 in May 2026, compared to nearby cities like Tampa ($400,000) and Cape Coral ($399,000).
“The supply response came with new construction, but the condo market in particular outpaced the post-pandemic appetite, leaving that segment soft as single-family inventory tightened,” Jones said.
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“What Sarasota is going through now is more of a regression than a reform. The basic draw to Sarasota County hasn't changed, but the market has changed from one that punishes doubt to one that rewards it.”
