A Florida congressman is formally inviting Elon Musk to relocate Tesla’s headquarters from Texas to Florida, citing the recent Democratic sweep of statewide offices in the Lone Star State.
U.S. Rep. Carlos Giménez, a Republican who represents parts of South Florida, sent a letter dated November 9 to Musk asking the company to consider moving its corporate headquarters and expanding operations in what he called the “free State of Florida.” Giménez pointed to the election of officials he described as self-described Democratic Socialists in Texas and raised concerns about potential government interference, politically motivated investigations, and policies that could punish business success.
“No company should face political retaliation for creating jobs, investing in American innovation, and contributing to our nation’s prosperity,” Giménez wrote in the letter. He contrasted Texas’s shift with Florida’s approach of lower taxes, responsible regulation, and openness to business, highlighting South Florida’s infrastructure, growing technology sector, skilled workforce, and role as a gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean.
Giménez, the former mayor of Miami-Dade County, has previously encouraged Musk to bring operations to Florida. In 2022, he wrote to Musk urging him to move what was then Twitter from San Francisco to Miami.
Musk previously relocated Tesla’s headquarters from California to Austin in 2021 and later moved SpaceX’s headquarters to Starbase near Brownsville, citing regulatory and political conditions in California, including pandemic restrictions and a later gender-identity law. He has said on X that SpaceX and Tesla prospered in Texas because they were not operating under an oppressive and extractive state government.
Texas Democrats, including Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa, won control of key statewide offices last week for the first time in decades. Hinojosa has asked state parks officials to pause discussions of a potential land sale near SpaceX’s Starbase site until she takes office in January. Musk spent heavily supporting Republican candidates in Texas this cycle.
Giménez’s office released a statement saying Florida is “rolling out the red carpet for innovation, investment, and job creation.” No response from Musk or Tesla has been reported.
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