More than 100 Orthodox Jewish families are leaving New York for Florida as antisemitism surges under New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. More families are preparing to follow, with City Hall providing the final push for some residents already weary of hostility, high housing costs, and taxes.

Their destination is Lakefront Estates, a $300 million development spanning 550 acres in Glades County, Florida. Sixty families have already settled there, and the community officially opened in October with a synagogue, a yeshiva, and a kosher supermarket.

Lakefront Estates CEO Yidel Perlstein told the New York Post that Orthodox Jews represented the first wave of buyers because many were desperate to leave New York. Anyone can purchase a home in the development.

Prices begin at $460,000 for a four-bedroom home measuring 2,500 square feet. A seven-bedroom house covering 3,700 square feet costs as much as $585,000, offering the kind of space that large Orthodox families often struggle to find in New York.

Residents who spoke with the Post said conditions in New York had become intolerable. Morris, a former Brooklyn resident who provided only his first name because he fears retaliation, pointed directly to the change he experienced after Mamdani took office.

"You could feel the antisemitism everywhere; even my community, Borough Park, changed after Mamdani came in," Morris said. His account reflects the fear driving families from communities where they once expected to remain.

A mother of four who requested anonymity now works as an educator in Lakefront Estates alongside her husband. "New York has become increasingly antisemitic; we've been facing that a lot," she told the Post.

The mother said high housing costs and Florida’s private school tuition vouchers also influenced her family’s decision. Those practical concerns have combined with fears about antisemitism to make relocation increasingly attractive.

NYPD data shows that hate crimes in New York City have increased nearly 16% from last year. Half of those crimes targeted Jews, an alarming figure in the city with the country’s largest Jewish population.

Mamdani last month unveiled a $30 million strategy that included a new Interagency Task Force to Combat Antisemitism. Critics quickly dismissed the plan as a ruse, noting that it does not define antisemitism or explain what distinguishes Jew hatred from other forms of racial or religious bigotry.

The plan does not use the word "Zionism," mentions Israel only once, and directs funding to groups opposed to Israel. Mamdani also declined to formally recognize Israel’s existence while presenting the strategy, hardly a reassuring performance for families already looking over their shoulders.

The movement extends beyond New York City. New York State Assemblyman Aron Wieder, a Democrat representing Rockland County, said 20 families from his heavily Orthodox district have already relocated to Lakefront Estates.

"All my grandparents were Holocaust survivors; never would they have dreamed that their descendants would have to face what they faced in the lead-up to the Holocaust," Wieder said. He added, "For a Jew to have to look over their shoulder when they're walking down the street, it's very disturbing."

✡️ WATCH: Historic Milestone in Florida as Over 80 Orthodox Jewish Families Move Into New $100 Million-Plus Community and Schools Open

More than 80 families from New York have moved into Lakefront Estates, where schools have now opened. Dozens more families are expected in the coming weeks, following reported investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in the project. Located in Glades County near Lake Okeechobee, Lakefront is a purpose-built residential community. The broader development plan calls for up to 1,000 single-family homes and 300 rental units. The vision goes beyond housing: plans include synagogues, mikvahs, boys’ and girls’ schools, a yeshiva, a kollel, kosher shopping and medical services. Developers are targeting families seeking more space and an alternative to soaring housing costs in established Orthodox neighborhoods. Hatzalah South Florida has also begun organizing a local branch, meeting with prospective responders who will serve Lakefront. With families arriving and classrooms opening, the focus now shifts from construction to building the services a growing community needs. — Jewish Breaking News (@JBreakingNews) October 12, 2026

Wieder also cited high taxes and housing costs as factors pushing families away. A Citizens Budget Commission study found that New York has the highest combined state and local taxes in the country, totaling roughly $13,000 per person.

The 2026 Realtor Housing Report Card ranked New York last in both housing affordability and homebuilding. Large Orthodox families often require bigger houses or expensive additions, placing suitable homes further beyond their reach.

Florida has offered the families a fresh start, although the transition has not been entirely trouble-free. Perlstein said most Glades County residents have welcomed the newcomers and that his investment has benefited the local economy.

A pair of online influencers appeared in mid-October to stir up hostility against the residents, according to Perlstein. He credited local authorities with protecting the community, while the families said they simply want to raise their children and be good neighbors.

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