When her husband’s former boss in Connecticut reached out to see if he’d be prepared to return, the couple leaped on the probability.The reverse migration out of Florida isn’t simply amongst newcomers, but additionally amongst longtime residents who mentioned they’ll not afford to stay there and are uncomfortable with the state’s more and more conservative insurance policies, which lately have included a crackdown on undocumented immigrants, a ban on transgender look after minors, state interventions in how race, slavery and sexuality are taught in faculties, and a six-week ban on abortions.After greater than three a long time within the Tampa Bay space, Donna Smith left the state for Pennsylvania in December, with politics and rising insurance coverage prices taking part in a significant position in her determination to go away.“It breaks my coronary heart, it actually does, as a result of Florida was actually a reasonably good spot once I first moved there,” Smith mentioned.Having grown up in Oklahoma, Smith thought-about herself a Republican, however as Florida’s politics shifted to the appropriate, she mentioned she started to contemplate herself a Democrat. It wasn’t till the previous a number of years, although, that politics began to encroach on her every day life — from feuds between neighbors and mates to neo-Nazis displaying up at a Black Lives Matter rally in her small city.“After I first moved to Florida, it was a live-and-let-live type of seashore really feel. You met folks from throughout, everyone was relaxed. That’s simply gone now, and it’s surprising. It’s simply gone,” mentioned Smith, 61, who works as a graphic designer and illustrator. “As a substitute, it’s only a fixed aggravating environment. I really feel as if it may ignite at any level, and I’m not a fearmonger. It’s simply the environment, the sensation there.”She was already contemplating a transfer out of the state when she was instructed by her householders insurance coverage firm that she would wish to exchange her residence’s roof as a result of it was older than 4 years or her insurance coverage premium could be going as much as $12,000 a yr from $3,600, which was already double what she had been paying. Even with a brand new roof, she was instructed her premium could be $6,900 a yr. Earlier than she may decide about what to do, her insurance coverage coverage was canceled.Shortly after, Smith ended up shifting to the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, space, the place she is nearer to her grownup kids. Whereas the vast majority of voters in her new county selected Donald Trump within the final election, she mentioned politics is not such a heavy presence in her on a regular basis life.“I don’t really feel it’s as oppressive. Individuals don’t put on it on their sleeve like they did in Florida,” she mentioned. “While you stroll in a room, you don’t overhear a dialog on a regular basis the place individuals are saying ‘Trump is the very best’ or ‘I went to that final rally,’ they usually’re telling complete strangers when you’re simply ready on your automobile or one thing. It was simply in all places.”