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Mr. Thorp only tells part of the story. The key driver for much of the economic data is Business Climate, a parameter in which RI ranks 45th in the country while Florida ranks 5th. Translation: Florida is receptive to business while RI is hostile to business. In RI, government exists for the purpose of expanding itself, and this costs money. Florida has a lower sales tax than RI. Florida has NO state income tax. RI ranks 8th highest in the US in total tax burden while FLA is 31st. And what does RI state government do with all this money? They employ a) hacks who see to it that insane regulations are enacted and followed, and b) brothers-in-law to lifetime, do-nothing state jobs. Florida has 10 adults per 10,000 in the population working for the state highway dept. RI? 15 per 10,000. That's a 50% difference in exchange for deplorable state highways. All these burdensome regulations and confiscatory taxes have effectively kept businesses out of RI, while driving the unemployment rate to 27% higher than Florida. Then again, if the purpose of RI's state government is to make as many people as possible dependent upon the State, RI has succeeded brilliantly. And voters have asked for more of the same.