EXCLUSIVE: Drivers traveling into and out of Chicago on the Stevenson Expressway are now passing a pointed message from Florida’s leading business advocacy group.
The Florida Chamber of Commerce is taking its multimillion-dollar “Free Enterprise” recruitment effort to the Midwest, unveiling billboards aimed at Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. The group says its data indicates that billions of dollars in taxable income have shifted from Illinois to Florida.
The Chicago ads will echo the campaign the Chamber previously ran in New York, Florida Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson told Fox News Digital exclusively. Two billboards will appear in the city, with one message declaring Pritzker the runner-up for “Florida Economic Developer of the Year.”
“This isn’t personal, right? This is about policy,” Wilson said, arguing that governors bear primary responsibility for the direction of their states. He cited what he described as Chicago’s public-safety concerns and high taxes, adding that he has personal familiarity with Illinois because he is originally from the state.
The billboards, positioned to face traffic in both directions on I-55, feature an image of Pritzker shrugging. The ads thank him for the jobs they say have moved to Florida and label him the campaign’s runner-up. The launch follows a Times Square campaign last month in which the Chamber named New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani Florida’s “Economic Developer of the Year.”
The Florida Chamber says its messaging is designed to make the case that progressive tax and economic policies can push businesses, families and wealth toward Florida. Wilson said Illinois became the next target because the organization’s decisions are based on economic data, which he said placed New York first and Illinois second.
Wilson pointed to Florida’s population growth and Illinois’ population losses during the same period, as well as more than $2 billion in taxable income that he said moved from Illinois to Florida. He also cited major corporate departures from Chicago, including billionaire Ken Griffin’s decision to relocate hedge fund firm Citadel to Miami.
The Chamber chief argued that public-safety concerns can influence where companies choose to operate. He referenced bullet holes that appeared in Citadel’s Chicago building, saying such incidents undermine claims that the city has become safer after changes to criminal enforcement policies.
Wilson also criticized Illinois’ tax policies, saying they place added pressure on the people and companies investing in manufacturing and local communities. He highlighted Griffin’s philanthropic contributions to public education and public safety, arguing that Illinois’ policies have made the state less secure, less competitive and more costly.
The Florida Chamber’s pitch extends beyond hedge funds and wealthy executives. Wilson said the recruitment campaign is also focused on Illinois companies and entrepreneurs in advanced manufacturing, aviation and the technology startup sector.
Advanced manufacturing is a major priority for Florida, Wilson said, noting that the state is among the few with a chief manufacturing officer. He also pointed to Florida’s ranking as the nation’s No. 1 state for new business startups, saying entrepreneurs whose ideas face barriers in Illinois would be welcomed in the Sunshine State.
Wilson said the earlier Times Square effort helped lift the Chamber’s total earned-media valuation above $100 million. He declined to say how much the Chicago billboard campaign costs, but said the organization spends millions of dollars each year on its broader work.
The Chamber hopes Illinois officials will examine the economic trends, Wilson said. He argued that although Illinois has roughly half Florida’s population, its budget and debt are substantially larger, and he urged the state to consider adopting free-enterprise principles more broadly.
Pritzker’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Wilson acknowledged that Florida’s rapid expansion also creates obligations for its political and business leaders. He said they must ensure the state does not repeat the mistakes he associates with larger economic centers in the North and on the West Coast.
“The biggest risk to the Florida model is that we allow to happen in Florida what leaders in Illinois, New York and California allowed to happen there,” Wilson said. He pointed to California’s former status as a national economic leader, arguing that its position weakened over time.
For Wilson, Florida’s current momentum should serve as both an opportunity and a warning. He said state and business leaders must address the challenges that he believes have hurt Illinois, New York and California.
Rather than measuring Florida only against other states, Wilson said its leaders should focus on whether the state is living up to its own potential. “We need to compare ourselves to Florida’s potential,” he said, framing the challenge as “Florida versus Florida.”
The Chicago billboards are scheduled to remain along I-55 for one week, but Wilson said the “Free Enterprise Florida” campaign will continue. Other states could become future targets as the Chamber expands its business recruitment strategy.
Wilson said the broader objective is to prompt residents and leaders in other states to reconsider their economic direction. “We want America to win,” he said, adding that Florida offers a model for what the country’s future could look like.
