$19-million tab? DeSantis' office offers glimpse into Israel flight cost to taxpayers

TALLAHASSEE – After saying nothing for days about the cost to Florida taxpayers of multiple flights to and from Israel that evacuated almost 700 Americans, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office has begun to shed a little light on the matter.

Disputing an Orlando Sentinel report that the state had authorized spending up to almost $50 million to one contractor for the charter flights, a spokeswoman for the Florida Division of Emergency Management said Wednesday that figure was not “based on any real invoices or expenditures.”

Instead, Alecia Collins, with the division, said that as much as $19 million in open purchase orders has been approved for ARS Global Emergency Management, one of the companies involved in the flights which began the weekend of Oct. 13.

Collins said this was the “maximum” authorized for this contractor and that the amount will “continue to be refined as invoices are received.”

Three purchase orders with ARS totaling close to $50 million and dated this month are included in a Florida financial services database and may guided the Sentinel’s reporting. Collins didn’t offer an explanation for reasons behind authorized amounts exceeding the $19 million.

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ARS was not involved in last year’s transport by the DeSantis administration of about 48 mostly Venezuelan asylum-seekers from San Antonio, Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, off the Massachusetts coast. But it is among three companies the state has selected for an expanded version of its migrant relocation program.

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The DeSantis administration for weeks refused to provide any public records related to how it lured the Venezuelans onto flights until ordered by a Leon County judge following a lawsuit brought by the Florida Center for Government Accountability, an open government group.

ARS hasn’t gotten attention in the trips to Israel. Instead, Project Dynamo, a Tampa-based nonprofit that helped organize the evacuations, has been the public face of the rescue flights, which DeSantis has touted repeatedly as he runs his longshot campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.

DeSantis also has fund-raised off the flights, sending emails to possible donors which are critical of President Biden.

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The pitch for dollars for his lagging campaign promotes his own actions which sent “plane after plane to bring hundreds of American families home and shipped thousands of donated critical supplies to Israelis in need.”

DeSantis issued an executive order and declared a state of emergency Oct. 12, only five days after Hamas fighters invaded Israel, to evacuate the state’s residents from the conflict zone. It’s not immediately clear how many Floridians are among the 700 Americans moved out of Israel on the state-backed flights.

U.S. citizens have been flown back to Florida on four flights, with more aid made available by state agencies and volunteer organizations. Two cargo planes carrying 85 pallets of donated supplies have also been sent to Israel, according to DeSantis’ office, including medical supplies, clothing and children’s toys.

The Republican-controlled Legislature, in coordination with DeSantis, also will go into special session Nov. 6-9 to formally express support for Israel and to expand state sanctions against Iran, which has supported Hamas.

DeSantis' focus on efforts backing Israel may be intended to curry favor among Jewish voters and donors. But one of Florida’s more prominent Jewish Republicans, Rep. Randy Fine of Palm Coast, turned on the governor Tuesday and flipped his support in the presidential race to former President Trump.

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Fine, who had been a DeSantis ally, lashed out at DeSantis for not taking action against a handful of demonstrations on college campuses in support of Palestine, which he said called for “the extermination of Jews.”

Fine also ridiculed the governor for failing to voice forceful opposition to neo-Nazi rallies that have taken place around Florida over the past year.

Campaigning in New Hampshire, DeSantis said Fine, a candidate for state Senate, was only trying to ingratiate himself to Trump and was bitter about being passed over as president of Florida Atlantic University. DeSantis also cited the flights from Israel.

“What other governor has rescued people from Israel?” DeSantis said. “I mean, like I marshalled resources. We brought back close to 700 people.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that ARS Global was involved in last year's migrant flights to Martha's Vineyard.

John Kennedy is a reporter in the USA TODAY Network’s Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jkennedy2@gannett.com, or on Twitter at @JKennedyReport

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: DeSantis' office sheds light on price tag of Israel flights