Not everyone is hanging around for the Liberal shakedown…
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is trading Seattle’s gray skies for South Florida sunshine, announcing that he and his wife have relocated to Miami just as Washington state lawmakers advance a proposed tax targeting millionaires.
Schultz, who bought Starbucks in 1987 and helped transform it into one of the most recognizable coffee brands in the world, revealed the move Tuesday in a post on LinkedIn.
He said he and his wife, Sheri, had moved to Miami “for our next adventure together.”
Schultz framed the decision as a lifestyle choice rather than a political one, pointing to what he called the appeal of “the sunshine of South Florida.”
But the timing has raised eyebrows.
The announcement came just hours after Washington lawmakers advanced legislation that would impose a new tax on residents earning more than $1 million annually, part of a broader push in some Democrat-led states to increase taxes on top earners.
🚨BREAKING: Washington State passes their first ever income tax. Incomes over $1M/year will be taxed at 9.9%. Married couples share A SINGLE $1M exemption, so if combined incomes are more than $1M, you're getting taxed. This will obviously eventually extend beyond millionaires.… pic.twitter.com/A8hy6L7Tuz
— Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital) March 11, 2026
The coincidence is fueling renewed debate about “capital flight” — the idea that wealthy residents and businesses relocate when taxes rise.
Supporters of the proposed tax argue it would help fund public services and reduce inequality.
Critics warn it risks pushing high-earning individuals and companies to more tax-friendly states.
Schultz’s move underscores the contrast between Washington’s tax proposals and states like Florida and Tennessee, which generally maintain more favorable tax structures for high-income residents.
Florida has no state income tax.
Schultz’s full LinkedIn post below:
Forty-four years ago, Sheri and I made the cross-country trip from NYC to Seattle in our 1979 Audi along with Jonas our Golden Retriever. We were starting a new life. Sheri would be the breadwinner in the family, taking on a career in design. And I started a new job on September 7, 1982, at a place called Starbucks. Back then, the Pike Place Starbucks only sold whole bean coffee. Today, it’s the most visited Starbucks in the world. The history of the company is bound up in the very foundation, walls and floorboards of our first store in the city’s historic market.
The spirit of continuing forward has long underpinned our approach to life—in business, in philanthropy and most importantly, as a family. For those of you who know us well, we have entered the “retirement” phase of our lives. (A term we are both just getting used to.) Last year we traveled to dozens of places around the world—places we were too busy to see when building Starbucks and raising kids. And we have moved to Miami for our next adventure together. We are enjoying the sunshine of South Florida and its allure to our kids on the East Coast as they raise families of their own.
Like many other Seattle-based companies, Starbucks today stands on the shoulders of the many Pacific Northwesterners who built the company. They helped shape the culture, the benefits and the brand, contributing to the civic, community and public life of the city and state. It is our hope that Washington will remain a place for business and entrepreneurship to thrive, creating essential opportunity for those in Seattle and the surrounding areas.
Over the years, as Sheri and I grew our family and built Starbucks globally, we were witness to the astonishing development of Seattle. We focused on doing our part to help those at risk and facing hard times in our city. In 1990, Sheri started the Schultz Family Foundation, launching critical work to help others in our community and beyond—work that has grown in scale and impact with each passing year. We have entrusted the leadership of the Foundation to our dear friend Vivek Varma with a mandate to accelerate our philanthropic investments to drive meaningful change. While our private family office will move to Miami, our Foundation will continue operations in Seattle.
We will be forever grateful for the memories made in Seattle and the relationships built along the way. To the family, friends and partners who made Seattle our home for so many years, thank you.
Onward.
Sheri and Howard Schultz
FLEEING FOR FLORIDA: Starbucks founder Howard Schultz announces he’s leaving his longtime home of Seattle and moving to Florida, as Washington state Democrats slam business owners with a brand-new income tax.
The billionaire coffee mogul is ditching the Pacific Northwest after… pic.twitter.com/3BJUv8gtbS
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 11, 2026
More over at The Daily Mail:
Starbucks founder says he is LEAVING deep blue home city of Seattle for Florida amid controversial wealth tax… as coffee giant begins shifting HQ staff to Tennessee https://t.co/7NbU5asoNe
— Daily Mail US (@Daily_MailUS) March 11, 2026
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