Starbucks founder Howard Schultz announced that he and his family are leaving Seattle and relocating to Florida — the same day Washington Democrats pushed through a controversial new income tax on high earners.
In a LinkedIn post shared Thursday, Schultz said he and his wife, Sheri, have entered the “retirement” phase of their lives and have moved to Miami after more than four decades in Seattle.
DEVELOPING: Starbucks founder Howard Schultz announces that his family is leaving Seattle for Florida the same day Democrats passed an income tax on Washington state
Starbucks corporate is moving to Nashville
The wealth exodus is underway. Democrats have killed WA's economy pic.twitter.com/4O8Dk0tPaI
— Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) March 11, 2026
“Last year we traveled to dozens of places around the world—places we were too busy to see when building Starbucks and raising kids,” Schultz wrote. “And we have moved to Miami for our next adventure together.”
The announcement comes just hours after Washington House Democrats approved Senate Bill 6346 following a marathon floor fight that stretched more than 24 hours. The legislation imposes a 9.9 percent tax on annual income above $1 million, a policy Democrats have branded the “millionaire’s tax.”
Critics say the timing underscores growing concerns that Washington’s political climate and tax policies are driving wealthy residents and major employers out of the state. Opponents have also warned that Democrats intend to expand the tax to include all Washingtonians.
In his message, Schultz reflected on the early days of Starbucks and the role Seattle played in the company’s rise. Despite relocating, he said the Schultz Family Foundation will continue operating in Seattle, where it has supported community initiatives since the early 1990s.
Schultz’s departure comes as Starbucks has steadily reduced parts of its footprint in Seattle in recent years.
Earlier this week, Starbucks announced it will close five Seattle stores in early April, including four unionized locations. The closures mark the latest sign of the coffee giant shrinking parts of its retail presence in its hometown amid corporate restructuring, labor disputes, and expansion outside Washington.
Several of the affected stores are located in high-traffic areas, including near the Space Needle and along major employment and hospital corridors. Starbucks has previously shuttered multiple high-profile Seattle locations, including stores near Pike Place Market, citing reduced foot traffic and rising crime.
The closures follow significant corporate changes at Starbucks. In October 2025, the company laid off roughly 1,100 corporate employees globally, including more than 900 in the greater Seattle area, as part of a broader effort to streamline operations and respond to declining sales.
Seattle has also been the center of an ongoing labor dispute between Starbucks and unionized workers. In November 2025, employees from unionized stores nationwide launched a strike on Red Cup Day, one of the company’s busiest days of the year, demanding higher wages, improved staffing, and progress toward a collective bargaining agreement.
Later that month, protesters claiming to be Starbucks employees set up an encampment outside the company’s Seattle headquarters, escalating the dispute. The demonstrations drew support from several prominent Democratic politicians, including Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Jayapal visited the Seattle encampment and called for wealth redistribution, urging corporations and wealthy Americans to “pay their fair share.” Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson also joined the strike early, appearing on a picket line shortly after her election victory speech.
Meanwhile, Starbucks has announced plans to open a corporate operations office in Nashville, Tennessee, shifting some supply-chain and sourcing roles out of Seattle as it expands its presence in the southeastern United States.
Sources previously told The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI that Starbucks has already paid out the remainder of its lease on one Seattle-area office location and vacated the building in preparation for the Nashville expansion, though Starbucks has not publicly confirmed that report.
Schultz’s announcement comes as Washington lawmakers approved one of the most significant changes to the state’s tax structure in decades.
The new income tax applies to annual household income above $1 million, but critics warn the policy could accelerate a broader wealth exodus from Washington, driving entrepreneurs, investors, and job creators to lower-tax states like Florida and Tennessee.
Washington voters have rejected income tax proposals repeatedly at the ballot box over the past century.
Schultz did not mention the legislation directly in his post, framing the move as a personal decision following decades spent building Starbucks and raising a family in Seattle.
“We will be forever grateful for the memories made in Seattle and the relationships built along the way,” Schultz wrote.
But the symbolism of the Starbucks founder leaving the city the same day lawmakers approved a new income tax is already fueling debate about the future of Washington’s economy.
