Sylvester Stallone has announced he is “permanently” leaving California and moving to Florida, where he is being welcomed with open arms by the state.
During the season two premiere of his reality show, “The Family Stallone,” the “Rocky” star announced the move to his family, announcing that he would be moving along with his wife of 26 years, Jennifer Flavin.
“After long, hard consideration, your mother and I have decided, time to move on and leave the state of California permanently, and we’re going to go to Florida,” Stallone told his three daughters: Scarlet, 21; Sistine, 25; and Sophia, 27. “We’re gonna sell this house. We already have the place, it’s a done deal.”
On Friday, Casey DeSantis, wife of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, welcomed the Stallones to Florida in a post on X.
“Welcome to the Free State of Florida!” DeSantis wrote alongside a clip of Stallone’s conversation with his daughters. “In addition to respecting and protecting your God-given, constitutional right to be free, you can also buy toothpaste without having an armed guard in CVS unlock it for you.”
Welcome to the Free State of Florida!
In addition to respecting and protecting your God-given, constitutional right to be free, you can also buy toothpaste without having an armed guard in CVS unlock it for you 🙌
pic.twitter.com/bSiZiLj2wJ— Casey DeSantis (@CaseyDeSantis) February 23, 2024
In 2021, Stallone purchased a $35.4 million home in Palm beach, according to the Palm Beach Daily News, which sits on approximately 1.5 lakefront acres, facing over 250 feet of beach with a dock, per the outlet.
Since purchasing the home, which includes a main house and a guest house and is over 13,000 square feet, Stallone and Flavin have split their time between both Florida and California.
“It’s an incredible move, I have to say I’m really happy with our move and our change,” Flavin said in December. “I was born and raised there, two of our kids were born there, but now everyone’s out, our daughters moved to the East Coast … so there wasn’t really anything left for me in California. A few of our best friends also moved, so I think it’s [a] good change, just making new friends, living a totally different lifestyle, I love it, I’m really happy.”
Flavin also specified that change was the primary factor, rather than concerns over rising crime in California.
“There’s crime everywhere, there’s crime in Florida, too, so I didn’t move because of crime. You can find it anywhere you look, even in small towns,” she said.
“I think California is probably the most beautiful state in the United States, I absolutely love it, but I just needed a change,” she added. “I felt like I’ve been there long enough, and life is short, so I wanted to make a change and not just be sitting in one house the rest of my life.”
