Florida debuts ‘Free State of Florida’ welcome signs on roadways

Florida has released brand-new roadway signs welcoming tourists to the “Free State of Florida.”

The new signage references a phrase Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) coined in governing the state, even mentioning the “Free State of Florida” in his second inaugural address in 2023. The state as a whole has seen an influx of people in recent years, landing second in the most moved-to states in both 2022 and 2023 .

“We continue to stand by ‘the Free State of Florida,’” Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez, a Republican, said on Wednesday. “We believe that we provide freedom, freedom to right to life, of course for those babies. We continue to stand by freedom of opportunity. That’s something that the governor has prided himself on, and I think the proof is in the pudding when we see how many people are moving to Florida vis-a-vis other states.”

Nunez also contended Florida residents love the signs and predicted there will be an uptick in tourists taking photos in front of them.

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The update to these roadway signs also includes a “hurry back” statement to encourage tourists to return to the state, a reference to Florida’s welcome centers that included “hurry back to Florida” on its buildings.

In 2023, Florida had over 140 million tourists visit the state , with about 129 million of these being domestic travelers. The remaining tourists were either from overseas, 8.3 million, or were visiting from Canada, 3.2 million.