Sylvester Stallone praises Florida as he ditches Hollywood

Sylvester Stallone is still happy with his decision to ditch Hollywood for Florida.

During an interview with Fox News Digital, the “Tulsa King” star stated that the lifestyle in Florida is a much better fit for his personality than life in Los Angeles.

“I love it,” Stallone said of Florida.

“First of all, the air seems to always be clean. We’re very, very near the water and that makes my wife incredibly happy. It makes me happy, and it’s just something about it. It’s just so lush.”

“I went to college there for a couple of years. So, I’m not a stranger to the environment, but it fits my personality much better,” he concluded.

In 2024, the “Rocky” star announced that he and his wife, Jennifer Flavin, were leaving Hollywood behind for good on the season two premiere of the reality show, “The Family Stallone.”

“After long, hard consideration, your mother and I have decided, time to move on and leave the state of California permanently, and we’re going to go to Florida,” Stallone told his three daughters: Scarlet, Sistine and Sophia – referring to his wife of 27 years.

He added, “We’re gonna sell this house. We already have the place, it’s a done deal.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ wife, Casey DeSantis, welcomed the Stallone family to Florida in a message on X at the time.

“Welcome to the Free State of Florida!” Casey wrote alongside a clip of Stallone’s conversation with his daughters. 

“In addition to respecting and protecting your God-given, constitutional right to be free, you can also buy toothpaste without having an armed guard in CVS unlock it for you,” she added.

In 2021, the “Rambo” actor purchased a sprawling $35.4 million home in Palm Beach, according to the Palm Beach Daily News.

Stallone’s Palm Beach home sits on approximately 1.5 lakefront acres, facing over 250 feet of beach with a dock, per the outlet.

Flavin spoke with Fox News Digital at the inaugural “Rocky Day” celebration in December 2023 about the couple’s relocation, saying, “It’s an incredible move, I have to say I’m really happy with our move and our change.”

“I was born and raised there, two of our kids were born there, but now everyone’s out, our daughters moved to the East Coast … so there wasn’t really anything left for me in California,” she continued. “A few of our best friends also moved, so I think it’s [a] good change, just making new friends, living a totally different lifestyle, I love it, I’m really happy.”

She wasn’t alone in her desire for a fresh start.

In the opening scenes of his Netflix documentary, “Sly,” Stallone spoke about the decision to move, saying it was beneficial to his creativity.

“I wasn’t moving because, ‘Oh, wow, I wanted another beautiful view.’ Any time changing that paradigm which you become used to, it’s literally to jump-start that process again,” he explained.

Flavin also made it clear in her interview that change was the primary factor, not any concern over crime rates expressed by some celebrities.

“There’s crime everywhere, there’s crime in Florida, too, so I didn’t move because of crime. You can find it anywhere you look, even in small towns,” the mother of three said.

“I think California is probably the most beautiful state in the United States, I absolutely love it, but I just needed a change,” she added. “I felt like I’ve been there long enough, and life is short, so I wanted to make a change and not just be sitting in one house the rest of my life.”

Meanwhile, Stallone is gearing up for the premiere of the new season of “Tulsa King.”

“It’s as close as I’m ever going to come to showing who I am, my real personality. That’s how I would react. It was an experiment,” he told Fox News Digital.  “This is pretty much me as a gangster.”

“Tulsa King” season three premieres on Sunday, September 21, on Paramount+.