AG Commissioner criticizes 2 new planes for exec air travel; Are they really for gov’s reelection campaign?
The Florida Legislature approved the purchase of two state planes that could be used for “executive air travel” for state officials, budget documents show.
That raised concerns by Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who addressed the issue at a Tuesday press conference, saying that DeSantis would be using “taxpayers’ dollars today to buy two new additional planes — it’s showing a lack of priority for the people of our state.”
“The governor has abused the plane that the people bought him already,” Fried said. “He’s taking this to press conferences, where it’s basically campaign rallies.”
Fried didn’t provide specific details of any campaign-like rallies.
But the governor has been seen in settings during his travels that involve balloons and the American flag. For example, there were red, white and blue balloons, and an American flag, at a Cape Coral event on mask mandates on July 30, 2021.
However, Christina Pushaw, the govenor’s press secretary, said “DeSantis only uses the state plane for official business, in accordance with the law. Official business includes the press conferences and meetings that are on the governor’s public calendar that our office sends out every day. It does not include fundraisers or campaign events, which state taxpayer funds are never used for.”
Fried is a 2022 gubernatorial candidate hoping to oust DeSantis in the November elections, though she needs to win the Democratic primary first.
In the state budget that was recently finalized, nearly $30.8 million would be provided to the Florida Department of Management Services to purchase two “executive jets,” called the Embraer Phenom 300E that can sit 11 occupants, including crew members. (The state budget also included expenses for six pilots.)
However, Cabinet members, including Fried herself, the lieutenant governor, justices of the Supreme Court and others would also have access to one of the executive aircrafts for travel, according to the legislation.
The 2022-23 state budget approved Monday also shows that state lawmakers approved about $26.5 million in the state budget for Fried’s Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to purchase aircrafts. According to the budget records, the agency would use the funds to “replace four helicopters and one fixed wing aircraft for wildfire suppression activities.”
In addition, lawmakers approved $5 million in the state budget “for the acquisition of aircraft including funds for fuel and maintenance” for the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
At the Tuesday press conference, Fried acknowledged that the 2022 legislative session resulted in historic funding, saying her agency received the “largest FDACS budget ever, at $1.99 billion total.”
She also added that the agency received pay increases for some agricultural workers in the state budget, but many initiatives addressing climate change and other environmental issues weren’t backed by lawmakers in the session.
“We saw so many Democratic bills that didn’t get a first hearing,” she said. Fried also added that “the Legislature was more concerned about a November election.”
At one point during Tuesday’s press event, Fried pointed to many protests over controversial culture-war bills that passed during the session, such as the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill and the 15-week abortion ban. “They passed pieces of legislation that infringe upon people’s rights,” said Fried, who is the only Democrat on the elected Cabinet.
The state budget for 2022-23 has been approved by lawmakers, but Gov. DeSantis has to approve it as well. He also has the authority to veto aspects of the budget.
Pushaw stressed that “the state legislature included in their budget proposed funding for two new state planes. Like all the legislature’s proposed budget items, it has not been acted upon, and will be thoroughly reviewed by the governor before he makes his decision about it.
“If Governor DeSantis approves the legislature’s budget with this item in it, the new state planes would not be for “his exclusive use. In fact, the two new aircraft would be used by legislative leaders and Cabinet members (that includes Commissioner Fried herself, as Agriculture Commissioner is a Cabinet position). The planes would only be available to them for official business, in accordance with state law. All of this is spelled out very clearly in the appropriations bill passed by the legislature in this session.”
Correction: An earlier version of a budget-related bill on executive aircrafts showed that one plane would be “designated for and may be used solely for the governor’s travel.” But the final version of that bill did not use that language.
This story has been updated with some comments by the governor’s press secretary.
