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Black business owner slams NAACP Florida travel advisory: ‘I would tell Black people … to simply ignore it’

May 27, 2023 | | Print Article

The NAACP made news recently when it warned African Americans to stay away from Florida, but one black business owner in the Sunshine State says would-be vacationers should “simply ignore” the travel advisory.

Mike Hill owns a Pensacola-based independent insurance and financial services agency, and he dismissed the NAACP’s race-baiting claims.

“I would tell Black people who have seen this advisory to not come to Florida to simply ignore it,” he told Fox News Digital.


(Video: Fox News Digital)

As BizPac Review reported, the NAACP launched earlier this week a poorly-conceived attack on Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), accusing the state of being “openly hostile toward African Americans.”

“Florida is openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals,” the civil rights organization stated. “Before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.”

According to the NAACP’s statement, “The travel advisory comes in direct response to Governor Ron DeSantis’ aggressive attempts to erase Black history and to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Florida schools.”

Christian Ziegler, Chairman of the Florida Republican Party, quickly pointed out that the chairman of the Board of Directors of the NAACP, Leon Russell, calls Tampa home and offered to help him move.

“True leadership is being willing to do what you ask others to do… time to step up and MOVE,” Ziegler tweeted. “If you think our state is so bad, the @FloridaGOP will help with moving costs.”

Hill told Fox News Digital that he believes the statement had more to do with money than it did with civil rights.

“It was more for an attempt to fundraise than it is anything else,” Hill said.

“I believe that they see the amount of tens of millions of dollars that Black Lives Matter has been able to raise from the leftist agenda, and so they want a part of that gravy train,” he said. “I believe it was more a publicity stunt.”

The statement, he said, was “fodder” used to target DeSantis after he entered the 2024 GOP race for the White House. Russell, Hill suggested, knows the truth about Florida.

“The irony that he has lived here most of his adult life, has actually witnessed the fact that a thousand people a day move to Florida for the opportunity that’s here and that he would still issue out a statement saying don’t come here because of the racist attitudes that exist in Florida,” he said.

Many agree with the business owner, including Gov. DeSantis, himself, who called the advisory a “political stunt” during his time with Elon Musk on Twitter’s “Spaces” where he officially launched his campaign.

“Claiming that Florida is unsafe is a total farce,” he stated, according to Fox News Digital.

Even Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera slammed the NAACP for its “publicity stunt.”

“I think the NAACP is one of the most venerated and respected civil organizations that have been around in my long lifetime. They fought the good fight for civil rights, but this is not about that,” Rivera told Fox News host Martha MacCallum. “This is a travel advisory. This is a warning to tourists to stay out of Florida and I think in that regard, it really is a fear-mongering publicity stunt and I find it very much to be in bad taste.”

Melissa Fine
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