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Canadians cutting Florida travel plans, but Sunshine State cares not The snowbirds may not be flying south, but the Sunshine State is in the midst of a population boom and is setting tourism records. Truth is, Florida doesn’t need Canadian tourism any more Photo by Steven Sandor / Postmedia

Article content Miami, Fla. — It’s just a short drive from the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, and a stone’s throw from the Atlantic Ocean. Dairy Belle is a linchpin in the community of Dania Beach, Fla. On Sundays, there’s lineups out the door for ice cream, poutine and toasted hotdogs. In March, when tourist season is at its peak, it serves 700 customers a day. And, its menu of Quebec specialties even attracted the Carolina Hurricanes to visit and make a large group takeout order.

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Article content The proprietor, Francois Grenier, took over Dairy Belle from his mom and dad, Gilles and Ritane Grenier, who launched the business in 1998 as a small shack with a single crockpot of gravy. Francois was a teen when the family made the move from Victoriaville, Que., to South Florida. They were part of the throng of Quebeckers who had fallen in love with the beach communities north of Miami. Even now, there are traces of the past. There are quaint hotels that look like they’re straight out of 1955. You’ll find them on the main streets of Dania Beach and the neighbouring community of Hollywood. There are signs that boast service in English and en francais. On Hollywood’s main street. there’s a replica Bonhomme waving to passersby in front of Richard’s Motel, which offers extended stays for snowbirds. The snowman mocks the fact that’s it 33 C out, with humidity that breaks a person into a sweat second after getting out of an climate-controlled vehicle.

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Article content But the past is giving way to a new present. Signs next to Richard’s Motel promise new developments. The centre of Hollywood looks more like its famous California namesake, with high-rise hotels and condos, and shops that beckon the wealthy. And Dairy Belle has moved from its former shack into an airy space in a Dania Beach strip mall. It’s a sign of how the old Florida, a place for the Canadian pipeline of retirees, is giving way to the new Florida, with young money and tourists coming from all over the world. The Canadians who had timeshares and condos are leaving. And the number who choose to vacation in Florida are shrinking. But Florida tourism continues to boom. Fact is, they don’t need the Canadians anymore. Grenier has seen the number of Quebec regulars dwindle. There are still some who make Dairy Belle their first visit as soon as they get off the plane, but there aren’t as many. Some of the Quebec regulars have reduced their number of visits.

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Article content “Some of them used to come three times a week, now they come once,” he said. It’s about more than Trump It would be easy for Canadians to think that the 51st state rhetoric from U.S. President Donald Trump would be the reason the Quebec-Hollywood pipeline is running dry. But Grenier said Trump’s anti-Canadian language is just a small part of a much larger issue. He said he started to detect the reduction of Canadian tourists about a decade ago. And each year, it’s more noticeable. “Canadians are not coming back,” said Grenier. “They are selling their condos. They used to spend a lot of money down here, and it’s not good.” But if it’s not all Trump, how did it start? “The dollar is weak,” said Grenier. “It costs a lot to come here, now.” He also said that snowbirds are dying off. And the next generation isn’t interested in going to the same vacation spot, year after year.

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Article content “They want to go to different places, one week at a time. They go to Mexico. Or Cuba. They want to know where the deals are.” And then there’s the final sliding scale. While Canadian visits decline, Florida is in the midst of a population boom. Florida has added almost two million residents since 2020. The U.S. Census now pegs the state’s population at 23.4 million. Why? COVID created a work-at-home generation. And people in northern states realized they didn’t have to live close to their offices, and they chose to leave their winters behind. Photo by Steven Sandor / Postmedia As well, Florida has no state income tax, no inheritance tax and no taxes on investments in stocks and bonds. Frank Gonzalez is a New York transplant who runs SC International Solutions, in the construction business. He’s seen a boom in new projects, and a massive shift in the Florida demographic.

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Article content “Snowbirds is a term we used to use for old Canadians,” he said. “Now it’s a term we use for younger Americans. “Florida is growing so much, it’s not even funny. They are coming here from Chicago, New York, Jersey, Boston.” That influx is creating so many housing bubbles in the state, you’d think it was an Aero bar. Miami Realtors just released stats showing the metro area of the city as the second-hottest housing market in America. Median condo prices have risen 8.3 per cent over the past year. Home sales were up 3.6 per cent. And, as Grenier said, the Canadians who come year after year are being priced out of the market, and the temptation is high to put the for-sale sign up on their condos in this overheated market. Canadian flights tumble There’s no doubt that the U.S. President has had an effect on Canadian tourism. Visual Approach Analytics, a data analytics company serving the aviation industry, studied airport traffic around the United States in April. Compared to what it was in January, capacity from Canadian airlines is down 23 per cent in Miami, 20 per cent in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, and crashed by 43 per cent in Palm Beach.

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Article content But while Canadian numbers are down, tourism as a whole in Florida is booming. In May, the State of Florida released numbers that showed a record 143 million tourist visits in 2024. Sure, those numbers were racked up while Joe Biden was in the White House. But, in the first three months of 2025, the state recorded 41.2 million visits, putting it on pace to smash 2024’s record numbers. “These results are proof that our freedom-first policies work,” said Governor Ron DeSantis in a victory-lap press statement. “Florida remains the best state to visit, work and raise a family.” There is one mitigating factor: Tourist visits early in 2025 may have been booked in 2024. As it stands, though, it looks as if Canadian tourist visits are being replaced, and then some. Grenier sees this great tourism shift at Dairy Belle. “We have lots of different people who enjoy our food,” said Grenier. “We have Russians. We have South Americans. We have people pull up in their Rolls-Royces.”

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