A former state representative says wealthy Connecticut residents are leaving the state at "an alarming pace."

Attorney John Shaban says when he returned to private practice in Greenwich in 2016, one of his most popular services became helping some of the state's top earners relocate to places like Florida and New York.

"Connecticut started to thrive 20, 30 years ago because people came here. We were a tax haven, we were a relatively stable regulatory and tax environment, and we were a great place to live," says Shaban. "We're still a great place to live, but you can't turn around and every day you get a different tax, a different fee, a different regulation, a different burden placed on you as a small business, especially today, when small businesses can pick up and leave."

Shaban says many small businesses now require little more than a laptop to operate, and that's making it easier for small business owners to relocate out of state.