Actor Scott Baio had lived in California for 45 years. However, the living conditions became so deplorable that the “Happy Days” actor felt compelled to move his family across the country to “free” and “fantastic” Florida.
Last week, Baio revealed that he was selling his $3.85 million home in Woodland Hills, California.
Baio blamed crime, high costs, and third-world conditions for forcing him to relocate to Florida.
Baio recently cited a 2022 report from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority that 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.”
During an appearance on “Watters World” on Tuesday, Baio said 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 means nothing, crime is out of control, graffiti on everything, and all my tax dollars I don’t know what they go for,” Baio explained.
He told host Jesse Watters that his family is “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 didn’t want to leave California because he has family and friends there, but he was forced to leave the “hellhole” that California had become.
Baio recommended that Californians “vote differently” to help change the environment of California.
“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 “Charles in Charge” actor revealed that he moved his family to the west coast of Florida.
Last month, Baio shared a photo on social media of him and his wife on a Florida beach with the Gulf of Mexico in the background. He captioned the photo: “Living our best life in Florida.”
The Baio family are currently living in a condo in Manatee County until 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 and 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 Florida, where she is winning golf tournaments.
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 Hollywoodcelebrities have moved out of California, including Mark Wahlberg, Rob Schneider, and Joe Rogan.
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Scott Baio speaks out on ditching California for Florida: ‘We didn’t feel safe’www.youtube.com