Sylvester Stallone, Jennifer Flavin leaving California

Jennifer Flavin, left, with bangs in a one-shoulder dress leaning and posing with Sylvester Stallone in a dark suit jacket

Feb. 26, 2024 11:04 AM PT

“Rocky” star Sylvester Stallone and his wife, Jennifer Flavin, are upending their lives in the Golden State for a new home in Florida.

The longtime spouses, who married in 1997, confirmed last week that they would “permanently” leave Southern California.

“We already have the place; it’s a done deal,” Stallone told his three daughters during the Season 2 premiere of their Paramount+ reality TV series, “The Family Stallone.”

Stallone and Flavin officially revealed their big move after more than a year of speculation. In December 2022, Sly reportedly listed his Hidden Hills mansion for upward of $22 million. Stallone and Flavin are set to relocate to their $35-million property in Palm Beach.

The “Rambo” and “Expendables” actor, 77, said he has lived in California since the start of his acting career in the 1970s. Flavin, 55, was born in Los Angeles and met her superstar husband in Beverly Hills. The model and the action star were seemingly headed for divorce in August 2022 but called off the split a month later.

Their three daughters — Sophia Rose, Sistine and Scarlet Rose — all seemed to be surprised by the news of the big move. Sophia Rose, 27, and Sistine, 25, both live in New York and were excited for their parents’ newest chapter. But youngest daughter Scarlet Rose, 21, wasn’t as enthusiastic.

“It’s my home,” said Scarlet Rose, a student at the University of Miami.

Flavin explained to them that the Stallone family home had started to feel like an “empty nest” after her children had gone off to college and begun living their own lives. “I need to change it up,” she said.

She added: “I raised all three of our daughters in California. Everything’s a memory to me — memories of them not being there anymore. So I needed a big change, and Sly went along with it.”

After trying to console his daughter, the “Creed” star reflected on his family’s roots in California. He said he knew that it was not going to be easy to move the primary Stallone home across the nation but his wife “really had her heart set” on the change of scenery.

“I gave in,” he said.

In a confessional interview, Sophia admitted: “It’s a little weird that my dad is just uprooting everything to go across the country. This is a huge change for someone who hates change.”

Stallone and Flavin are joining thousands who have made the move to Florida from California in recent years. Nearly 51,000 Californians moved to the Sunshine State in 2022, census date showed. The Times reported in November that California’s population has decreased by more than 500,000 during California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s tenure.

On the other hand, California welcomed roughly 29,000 Floridians in 2022. Politics, a difference in housing costs and taxes are among the various reasons behind their relocation.

As Stallone and Flavin prepare to put down roots in the Sunshine State, they were readily greeted by Casey DeSantis, the wife of Florida Gov. and former presidential candidate Ron DeSantis. The first lady shared a clip of the “Family Stallone” episode on her X (formerly Twitter) account on Friday.

“Welcome to the Free State of Florida!,” the Republican wrote, before making a dig about rising retail theft in the couple’s home state. “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.”

While some stars attribute their California exit to crime, Flavin said she doesn’t share the same concern. In December, she told Fox News Digital, “there’s crime everywhere, there’s crime in Florida too...you can find it anywhere you look, even in small towns”

“There wasn’t really anything left for me in California,” she also told the website.