GOP Rep. Invites Elon Musk To Move Twitter To Florida

Dillon BurroughsDecember 13, 2022

Rep. Carlos Giménez (R-FL) sent a letter to Twitter CEO Elon Musk on Monday urging him to move the platform’s headquarters to his state.

Giménez requested that Musk relocate to Miami-Dade County to escape the leftist environment of San Francisco.

“I am writing to you as the former Mayor of Miami-Dade County who now has the distinct honor of representing my community in Congress. We want to encourage you to explore our Free State of Florida and make the move to relocate Twitter to Miami-Dade County,” Giménez said in the letter.

“As Mayor of Miami-Dade County, I worked tirelessly to transform our world-class city into a global technology hub. Early on, we identified the tech sector as one with limitless potential and dreamed of luring companies from California’s burdensome Silicon Valley to the always sunny Tech Beach, right in the heart of South Florida,” he added.

The letter emphasized Florida’s freedoms over California’s “leftist dystopia,” referring to policies in the Golden State that have contrasted with the freedom focus under Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

DeSantis has stated that Musk’s plan to buy Twitter was a positive development, but has not extended a similar invitation for the company to move its headquarters.

.@elonmusk’s offer to buy Twitter is a good deal for shareholders and raises the prospect that the platform will be a place where free speech can thrive, not a tool for narrative enforcement.

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) April 25, 2022

Giménez is not the first leader to challenge Musk to move Twitter out of California. In April, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott also urged Musk, who already has a strong presence in the Lone Star state with SpaceX and his other companies, to consider moving Twitter under his leadership.

“@elonmusk. Bring Twitter to Texas to join Tesla, SpaceX & the Boring company,” he tweeted.

.@elonmusk. Bring Twitter to Texas to join Tesla, SpaceX & the Boring company.

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) April 25, 2022

South Dakota Republican Governor Kristi Noem also extended an invitation for Twitter to move to her state in April.

“@ElonMusk, if Twitter is in need of a new HQ, South Dakota is open for business,” Noem wrote.

.@ElonMusk, if Twitter is in need of a new HQ, South Dakota is open for business.

— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) April 25, 2022

During a meeting with employees last month, Musk said that if he made a move, it would likely involve dual headquarters with a second location in Texas.

“If we want to move the headquarters to Texas I think it would play into the idea that Twitter has gone from being left-wing to right-wing, which is not the case,” Musk reportedly told employees.

“This is not a right-wing takeover of Twitter. It is a moderate-wing takeover of Twitter,” he added.

Musk recently expressed frustration over the politics of San Francisco after the city reportedly opened an investigation into Twitter for adding beds to some office spaces for employees.

“So city of SF attacks companies providing beds for tired employees instead of making sure kids are safe from fentanyl,” Musk wrote. “Where are your priorities @LondonBreed!?”

So city of SF attacks companies providing beds for tired employees instead of making sure kids are safe from fentanyl. Where are your priorities @LondonBreed!?https://t.co/M7QJWP7u0N

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 6, 2022

“We need to make sure the building is being used as intended,” Patrick Hannan, a spokesperson for the Department of Building Inspections, told The Washington Post concerning the investigation. “There are different building code requirements for residential buildings, including those being used for short-term stays. These codes make sure people are using spaces safely.”