TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida officials could soon finalize a deal to buy a $15.5 million business jet to fly Gov. Ron DeSantis, more than six months after he was a passenger in a state-operated aircraft that experienced a mechanical malfunction.
The looming new purchase is raising old fears.
The decision to buy a plane came after former Gov. Rick Scott, the wealthiest governor in state history and now a U.S. Senator, got rid of state planes and used his own private jet to travel the state.
The misuse of state airplanes helped Scott get elected as governor. As a gubernatorial candidate, Scott repeatedly ran ads against his opponents, criticizing their use of the fleet for campaign purposes and personal matters.
Scott ordered two state planes sold days after he was sworn in.
“It’s a campaign promise I made and I’m going to live up to them,” said Scott in 2011.
That move left DeSantis flying in an aircraft the state bought from the federal government for $10,000 in 2016, according to records obtained by The News Service of Florida. Concerns about that plane arose after the refurbished King Air experienced a mechanical malfunction, which required an emergency landing.
“Air things dropped from the ceiling,” said DeSantis, recalling the event at a news conference in January.
A negotiation team with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement recommended last week the state acquire a nine-passenger jet from Textron Aviation Inc. The recommendation goes to FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen, who will make a final decision.
Members of the negotiation team did not discuss the plane’s cost during a public meeting at the state agency’s headquarters in Tallahassee. But the agency later released the $15.5 million cost, which will be financed.
The airplane model state officials intend to buy is the Cessna Citation Latitude, which the company advertises on its website as having an “elegant and lean design” with an electronic door, touch-screen avionics, a large lavatory and a spacious cabin.
DeSantis' communications director Helen Ferre said FDLE has strict guidelines for protecting and transporting the governor.
However, Ben Wilcox, with Integrity Florida, said he worries old habits could return without a strict new policy.
“I think they should establish strict rules that delineate how the plane will be used. So, not for personal business, not for campaign business, but for public business, legitimate public business,” Wilcox said.
In addition to an initial payment of $1.3 million for the plane, the state has also budgeted $3.8 million to operate it. Negotiations with the plane's maker are still underway.
Bid specifications call for the new jet to come with Wi-Fi and even a seat belt in the lavatory.
Once final, the plane has to be delivered within 60 days.