Black Florida owner slams NAACP for issuing ‘travel advisory’

A black Florida businessman has ridiculed the NAACP’s “travel advisory” issued against his state last week, accusing the organization of raising money by jumping on the “BLM justice train.”

The NAACP warned on May 20 that Florida, under its Republican governor and presidential nominee, Ron DeSantis, was “openly hostile to African Americans.”

The response was immediate, with many pointing out that senior NAACP leaders, including their chairman, live in the state.

On Friday, financier Mike Hill, who is also part of an initiative promoting black Americans called Project 21, said the NAACP warning was absurd and a brazen publicity stunt.

“I would tell black people who have seen this advice not to come to Florida and just ignore it,” said Hill, owner of an independent insurance and financial services firm in Pensacola.

Hill told Fox NewsI believe they see how many tens of millions of dollars Black Lives Matter has managed to raise from the leftist agenda, so they want a piece of that justice train.

“I think it was more of a publicity stunt. It was mainly an attempt to raise money.’

Nikki Whiting, the press secretary for the Florida Department of Health, responded to the NAACP’s advice by reminding the organization that Joseph Ladapo, the state’s Surgeon General, is black

The NAACP issued this travel advisory to warn African Americans against traveling to Florida, which it says is “hostile”

Florida Republicans are leading the backlash against the warning, which was issued despite the civil rights group’s own chairman living there and board members visiting the beaches on vacation.

Leon W. Russell, 73, has lived his adult life in Florida after growing up in Virginia.

Today, he lives in a two-bedroom home in northern Tampa.

Karen B. Towns, NAACP Co-President and Board Member, also enjoys vacationing in Clearwater.

Despite their connections to the Sunshine State, they joined the organization to warn other African Americans not to travel there.

However, Russell joined calls for African Americans to boycott the state.

Florida Republican Party chairman Christian Ziegler is now offering to help Russell move to another state.

“The NAACP CHAIRMAN lives in Tampa, FLORIDA! True leadership is being willing to do what you ask others to do… time to get up and MOVE.

“If you think our state is that bad, the Florida GOP will help with the moving costs.”

Leon Russell, the president of the NAACP, lives in Tampa, Florida

Karen B. Towns, NAACP Co-President and Board Member, enjoys a vacation in Clearwater

Leon W. Russell, 73, has lived in Florida all his adult life after growing up in Virginia. Today, he lives in a two-bedroom home in northern Tampa

Hill said Russell and his team’s position was ridiculous, singled out Russell for specific libel.

The irony that he has lived here most of his adult life has actually seen a thousand people a day move to Florida for the opportunity that is here – and that he still issues a statement saying don’t come here because of the racist attitudes that exist in Florida,” Hill said.

And he said he thought the NAACP advisory would backfire and show the organization is “irrelevant.”

“I don’t think this will deter anyone from coming to Florida,” he said.

“I think this will at least backfire on the NAACP and show how irrelevant they’ve become as an organization.”

The travel advisory claims DeSantis is trying to “erase” black history by eradicating CRT from schools.

DeSantis called it ridiculous, calling it a “political stunt” on Wednesday night.

“To claim that Florida is unsafe is a total farce,” he told Elon Musk during his campaign launch.