Staff Reports
The Florida Chamber of Commerce just parked a billboard on the Stevenson Expressway for a short, sharp message: Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois is the “runner-up” for Florida’s self-styled “Economic Developer of the Year.” The cheeky ad, part of the Chamber’s “Free Enterprise Florida” rollout, thanks the governor for sending jobs and taxable income to the Sunshine State. It’s political theater — but it also points to a real trend that should make Illinois voters ask some hard questions.
What the Florida Chamber’s Billboard Campaign Is Saying
The billboard creative shows Governor JB Pritzker and the tagline “Thanks for the jobs!” Mark Wilson, President & CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, told reporters the Chicago placements face traffic in both directions on I‑55 and will run for about a week. The Chamber claims its scorecard analysis shows more than $2 billion in taxable income relocating from Illinois to Florida — a figure the Chamber itself is citing as part of its message. Those dollar figures come from the Chamber’s interpretation of migration and tax data and should be read as the Chamber’s claim, not an uncontested fact.
The Data Behind the Dig: Migration Is Real
This billboard isn’t the whole story, but it’s not baseless theater either. Federal data sets used by analysts — like IRS migration files and Census population estimates — show people, returns and adjusted gross income moving between states each year. Florida has been a top destination in recent years while Illinois has seen population and income outflows, trends conservatives say are predictable when taxes and regulations climb. If you want the exact numbers, the IRS and Census tables are where you verify the Chamber’s math — but the broad pattern of migration is not a surprise.
Politics, Accountability, and a Little Bit of Mockery
Make no mistake: this is a political campaign dressed up as an economic scorecard. The Florida Chamber has used the same tactic before and plans to run more billboards in other states. That doesn’t make the message worthless. If high taxes and hostile business climates are pushing jobs across state lines, voters deserve to know which policies are working and which are failing. Governor JB Pritzker has not immediately commented on the billboard, according to reports — which only amplifies the Chamber’s jab and hands the narrative to critics.
Bottom Line: Billboards are Loud — Consequences Should Be Clearer
Conservative groups have every right to mock political leaders, and the Florida Chamber’s billboard is entertaining theater. But the underlying issue is serious: states that chase growth with lower taxes and friendlier rules are winning residents and revenue. Illinois leaders, starting with Governor JB Pritzker, ought to answer whether their policies are a matter of principle or a cause of decline. If the billboard lights up more debates than it does highways, that would be a good thing — because voters, not billboards, should decide who gets credit for the jobs that stay and who gets blamed for the ones that go.
