In Christine Robinson’s column, she is right, people continue moving to Florida. She calls for planning, she doesn’t acknowledge that Florida already has a serious water problem and it is likely to get much worse. In addition, there are more dangerous storms in hurricane season and a bulk of people moving to Florida are aging Baby Boomers who will require more and more services. 

Another thing, Ms. Robinson ignores is that New York and California get little back from the federal government, but pay a great deal into the funding of the United States. New York is number 47^th in receipts of federal funds, that comes to less than $1,792 per person. Florida is number 30, with a rate of $2,187 per person. Florida’s population is about 2.5 million more people than New York. So as those people move to Florida, where they may pay less in taxes, Florida will have to make up for those lost federal dollars, just as its costs for a growing population of seniors rises and environmental pressures grow.

It is fair to say that New York spends more money than it should, but it takes better care of its citizens than Florida does and has a better public education system. More people fly to New York for medical care than fly to Florida when expertise is demanded, and even with Disney, New York has Broadway. Florida doesn’t have the transportation infrastructure New York has, but Florida will need to beef up its mass transit as the population continues to explode and that will cost billions.

As for corruption, neither state is free from it, but with New York’s world-renowned New York Times and Wall Street Journal, plus major television and cable networks based in the state, New York’s maladies are better covered and the public is far more aware than in Florida, where corrupt officials and policies go on for decades.

Yes, there is a shift away from living in high cost states and high cost states, like lower cost states will have to find additional funding to keep up with the world around them, but if everyone moves to Florida and Texas, and if climate change continues to move as fast as it is, then it won’t be long before Florida and Texas are going to have to find new ways to raise significant revenue, since it will no longer be coming from New York and California.

Robert Kesten is from New York.