While a number of retirees move to Florida permanently, a number of New York pension recipients remain on Long Island because their house is paid off and their

While a number of retirees move to Florida permanently, a number of New York pension recipients remain on Long Island because their house is paid off and their pension is tax exempt from everything but Federal tax. So 80k in pension payments is equivalent to 120k in salary roughly (which is taxed heavily in payroll and state taxes). So, they stay in NY for the good doctors and paid-off house and soldier through the cold weather. All of this wouldnt be a big deal if NIMBYism wasn't a thing, but it is. Population on Long Island continues to explode as people commute by train to NYC to avoid exploding rents there. Building a house or remodeling a house on Long Island is extremely, mind-blowingly expensive and regulated due to the local town governments in Huntington, Oyster Bay, Manhasset, Babylon, Brookhaven, etc. I have tried really hard to get any town to permit me to build a 100k house on a 40k lot of land- nope, sorry, we only allow massive houses built out of expensive materials here because we want you to pay as much property tax as possible.