Whether to escape the high taxes, rampant violence or both, a growing number of Americans have relocated from Democratic-controlled states to more conservative enclaves like Texas and Florida in recent years.

Now, one of the wealthiest men in the world is planning his exodus from Seattle, Washington, to Miami, Florida. Although Amazon founder Jeff Bezos claimed the decision was rooted in a desire to be close to his parents, there has been a groundswell of speculation that he was motivated by the huge tax break he will receive as a result of relocating. 

Jeff Bezos says he’s moving to Florida to be closer to his parents. Another reason — taxes. Washington State has a new 7% tax on capital gains so he will owe $70 million in state taxes for every $1 billion of Amazon stock he sells. And he sells a lot. pic.twitter.com/G4gjzze200

— Robert Frank (@robtfrank) November 3, 2023

“My parents have always been my biggest supporters,” the billionaire wrote in a social media post last week. “They recently moved back to Miami, the place we lived when I was younger … . I want to be close to my parents, and Lauren and I love Miami.”

He went on to claim that a desire for his space exploration company, Blue Origin, to move closer to Cape Canaveral was a benefit associated with his move.

“For all that, I’m planning to return to Maimi, leaving the Pacific Northwest,” Bezos wrote. “I’ve lived in Seattle longer than I’ve lived anywhere else and have so many amazing memories here.”

While he claimed that it was “an emotional decision,” many pundits insisted that there was also an economic factor at play.

After all, as Daily Caller columnist Suzanne Downing opined, “a guy like Bezos can hop on his private jet and fly south to Miami anytime he has a need or desire to get out of the hellscape that Seattle has become.”

While the city’s exorbitant tax rate has been chronicled in many reports surrounding the tech titan’s decision to move, there are other glaring issues that have made Seattle increasingly inhospitable in recent years. 

Amid nationwide demonstrations and riots in 2020, Seattle ceded a section of the city to protesters, essentially creating a no-go zone for police. Crime across the city has been at alarmingly elevated levels ever since. 

These and other factors have contributed to Seattle’s grim status as the nation’s saddest city, where nearly half of all adults report symptoms of depression and almost one-fourth have been prescribed medication to treat either depression or anxiety.