Actor Scott Baio is so fed up with the deteriorating living conditions and “out of control” crime in California that he is moving his entire family out of the state after 45 years.
The “Happy Days” actor has opted to relocate his family to “free” and “fantastic” Florida.
There appears to be a pattern emerging here.
The reasons Scott Baio gave for moving out of California included crime, high costs, and third-world conditions.
Citing a 2022 report from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which estimated “69,144 people were experiencing homelessness in L.A. County at that time, a 4.1% rise from 2020, and 41,980 people were experiencing homelessness in the City of L.A., up 1.7% from 2020,” Baio concluded that California had devolved into a “third-world country.”
“Between the homeless defecating on the sidewalk, doing drugs on the sidewalk in the middle of the day, illegal aliens all over the place, laws mean nothing, crime is out of control, graffiti on everything, and all my tax dollars I don’t know what they go for,” Baio explained during an appearance on “Watters World.”
Baio added that his family is even “afraid to go to the mall.”
“Above all else, safety is the issue,” Baio told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo. “If you don’t feel safe, it’s not worth living in the town that you’re in.”
“It’s become a city and a state where the victims are the criminals, and the criminals are the victims,” he added.
“I just had enough of it, and it’s unfortunate because it’s a beautiful place.”
Baio said he was initially reluctant to leave California because his family and friends were there, but he said the state had become such a “hellhole” he was forced to leave.
Baio recommended that Californians “vote differently” to help change what the state has become.
“I would vote for a Democrat if they were going to fix some of this stuff,” the actor said.
“I would. But I don’t think the other side would ever vote for a Republican to fix it.”
The actor revealed he moved his family to the west coast of Florida.
Last month, Baio shared a photo of him and his wife on a Florida beach with the Gulf of Mexico in the background with the caption, “Living our best life in Florida.”
Living our best life in Florida. pic.twitter.com/bTIKUmZRmB
— Scott Baio (@ScottBaio) April 20, 2023
The Baio family lives in a condo in Manatee County while their home in Bradenton is finished being constructed.
Renee Baio, the wife of Scott Baio, told the Herald-Tribune, “I chose Manatee County for various reasons. It’s close to Anna Maria Island, Siesta Key, and I love the small town feel and values of Manatee County I support mom-and-pop businesses and would like to keep them thriving.”
Renee was thrilled that their daughter Bailey was adapting so well to life in Florida.
She wrote on Twitter, “Never in my life did I think we would be changing our whole lives for our daughter to jump ‘all in’ on her dream! I will miss my new kitchen and our friends. However, this is a very exciting journey we are on.”
Other Hollywood celebrities who have fled California include Joe Rogan, Mark Wahlberg, and Rob Schneider.
READ: California Loses 500,000 Residents in 2 Years Due to High costs, COVID Restrictions