TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — After Sunday night’s safe return of more than 270 Americans stranded in Israel, Florida officials said Monday at least two more flights are in the works.
The effort was spurred by Gov. Ron DeSantis who, last Thursday, signed an executive order to use state dollars and assets for retrieval of Floridians stuck in the war-torn nation. A day after the successful mission, he was back on the 2024 campaign trail to talk about it.
"There were people that were really struggling to be able to get out of the war zone," DeSantis told radio host Simon Conway. "And, they weren’t getting help from the State Department, they weren’t getting help from the embassy. So, I said — ‘Look, you need to lead. We will lead.' "
Florida Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie is helping lead the effort with several nonprofits, including Tampa-based Project Dynamo. He called it the most difficult mission of his career.
"This is 5,166 miles away from the EOC (Emergency Operations Center) front door," Guthrie said. "So it is much more difficult to run a mission, that is, you know, a seven-hour time difference, and make sure you're impacting the lives of Floridians that are abroad."
Guthrie said Florida will next be sending back supplies on two cargo planes. Those flights leave as early as Monday evening.
Afterward he said Florida was expecting at least two more rescue flights. Guthrie estimated they could happen over the next two to three days, with planes (if full) lifting as many as 550 more Americans from Israel or areas where the federal government has dropped those fleeing, like Cyprus.
"I said it's been the most challenging thing that we have ever done, and that says a lot for the many, many disasters we've been involved in," Guthrie said. "But, it also was probably one of the most rewarding— being able to know that we saved lives that came from a war zone."
Florida’s missions come on top of the U.S. government's efforts, which are already underway and now include a chartered cruise ship to help those stuck overseas.
It has some Florida Democrats in the legislature still questioning why the state is competing with the federal government instead of working with it.
Florida House Minority Leader Rep. Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa) told reporters Monday afternoon she was glad Floridians were returning home, but felt the state was overstepping its bounds.
"These are absolutely federal issues and we should be staying out of it,” Driskell said. "here are enough problems here at home.”
Colleague Rep. Kelly Skidmore (D-Delray Beach) was concerned a lack of coordination between the state and federal government could lead to a duplication of effort and waste resources.
"I think it was shortsighted of the governor," Skidmore said. "He was really only thinking of the photo op he was going to get when the flight arrived and he was there to say hello to everyone."
Regardless of that criticism and the ongoing conflict abroad, Florida has shown no signs of grounding its operation to fly Floridians and their loved ones back to the states.
Questions do linger, however, as to the specific vendors the state has contracted with as well as costs to the taxpayers. State officials say, at the moment, some of that information is being withheld for the safety and security of those involved.
