Florida moves to buy more planes for exec travel, 11 years after Rick Scott sold them

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Eleven yrs after then-Governor Rick Scott offered Florida’s govt plane due to the fact he owned his individual private jet, the point out legislature is seeking to obtain at minimum a few new planes for use by leaders and lawmakers.

Now a U.S. senator, Rick Scott (R-Florida) isn’t making price range conclusions for how the condition transports its executives. As governor, he was by now a multimillionaire and basically owned his possess jet. In contrast to Sen. Scott, Florida’s current governor is not independently wealthy. He does not possess his possess airplane, so the state had to obtain and buy a new one. Scott is nevertheless just one of the wealthiest U.S. senators.

To get Gov. Ron DeSantis a jet just after he took place of work in January 2019, the condition refurbished a King Air. He could not buy or sustain a private airplane on his have with a documented internet value of just beneath $349,000, as of his December 2020 economical disclosure. According to reporting by the Information Company of Florida, the FDLE bought the refurbished plane from the federal govt at surplus for $10,000 in 2016.

Past experiences said the point out offered the two planes for about $3.7 million in February 2011.

The aircraft broke down with DeSantis and Lawyer Common Ashley Moody onboard and experienced to make an emergency landing in St. Petersburg. The incident was a few days just after DeSantis took his oath of workplace as governor of the point out.

Then, the Florida Section of Regulation Enforcement expended $15.5 million to buy a superior jet for DeSantis to journey. They acquired a Cessna Quotation Latitude, replacing the renovated aircraft in 2020. Prior stories claimed the state paid $1.3 million for the new aircraft in recurring charges, with $3.8 million to work it from the condition funds.

Now, the Florida Legislature has a proposed bill that would include two additional planes to the state’s executive aircraft transport pool. Senate Bill 2512 sets up a state “executive aircraft” pool for use by officers on a initial arrive, initial serve basis. It also establishes distinct aircraft to be made use of for unique sets of condition leaders.

According to the proposed laws, the governor gets a aircraft to himself, which would be selected “Aircraft 1.”

The text spells out who can trip in every single of the two new planes to be bought should the monthly bill go. Plane 2 is precisely established for use by only the lieutenant governor, cabinet customers/officers, chief justice and justices of the Florida Supreme Courtroom. Aircraft 3 is specially established for the Florida Senate President or Speaker of the Household, appointed secretaries and govt directors of executive branch departments, and chairs of the Florida Gaming Management Fee, Community Assistance Fee and Florida Fee on Offender Assessment only.

Although the planes restrict who can use them on a very first-occur, first-served basis, flyers are authorized to bring company with them. This incorporates the governor when he may be traveling the state with an individual such as his relatives or checking out officials.

The plane pool would have a mileage allowance established by the Legislature. It have to be paid out for via the Functioning Trust Fund and managed by the Office of Management Solutions, where the government aircraft pool would be produced by the proposed monthly bill.

SPB 2512 also suggests in the textual content that it is supposed to operate on a complete-cost-recovery foundation, without having applying other out there funds. DMS would cost the point out officers touring on or employing the aircraft, at related prices to mileage allowance specified by the Legislature.

The premiums would have to be “not much less than” what is at present allowed for allowances used for personal car or truck travel, this sort of as cars. Payments by lawmakers using the plane would be deposited in the state’s Working Belief Fund, and “expended for expenditures incurred to operate the plane management routines of the section.”

Senate assessment of the bill, revealed Feb. 8, claims the price of the legislation would be $25.3 million from the point out Typical Income Fund, and a further $6 million in recurring fund form the Working Belief Fund for “implementing and administering the executive aircraft pool.” The cash would be incorporated in the 2022-23 fiscal spending plan.

8 On Your Aspect has achieved out to Scott for comment on the prospective buy of new planes, as his plan as governor taken off them.