‘DWTS’ stars reveal why they fled Los Angeles for Florida: ‘Everything we hoped for’

Husband and wife “Dancing with the Stars” pros Peta Murgatroyd and Maksim Chmerkovskiy revealed why they decided to leave California for Boca Raton, Florida after more than a decade in Los Angeles.

In an emotional video, Murgatroyd — who called LA home for 16 years — said it was hard to initially decide to pack up everything and leave the state with their three kids, Shai, 9, Rio, 3, and Milan, 1.

“There are tears you don’t expect, goodbyes that hit harder than you imagined, and moments where you wonder if you’re making the right decision,” she said in an Instagram post.

“But sometimes you have to leave what’s comfortable to find what’s meant for you.”

The couple have since shared their new adventure has been more than they could’ve possibly imagined.

“Leaving behind the place we’d called home for so many years wasn’t easy, but sometimes the biggest leaps lead you exactly where you’re meant to be,” her post read.

“The happiness, the slower pace, the sunshine, watching our boys love every second of it… it’s everything we hoped for and more.”

“Worth every box. Every goodbye. Every unknown. No looking back… only looking forward,” she added.

Murgatroyd also revealed that while they were in the process of packing the moving truck and boxes in LA, someone stole one of their son’s bikes.

She also said a homeless 20-something year-old girl went rummaging through their trash for food, as the city continues to deal with a massive homeless problem. 

The “DWTS” alums are just the latest residents in the mass exodus of the golden state.

Many have claimed leaders like Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have made living in CA difficult — amid the high crime rates, homeless problem, and insane cost of living.

Since the pandemic, the share of residents moving out of the state’s higher-income communities jumped dramatically to 19%, research from the University of California’s California Policy Lab shows.

The households leaving aren’t broke, but they’re struggling to make ends meet compared to their wealthier neighbors.

High rents and housing costs are major factors that have kept people down. A separate study, also recently released, found that the average California household has about 35 percent less disposable income than the national average.

And that’s due to the state’s high energy costs, high taxes, the highest gas prices in the nation, and fewer job opportunities, with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country at 5.3% last month, per the U.S Bureau of labor statistics.

Job growth in the state has seemed to flatline too, according to the state Legislative Analyst’s Office. Over the last four months, the state averaged 6,000 jobs per month, about the same as the “sluggish” rate last year.

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