Gov. Ron DeSantis said that flights bringing Floridians back from Israel could begin as early as the end of the Sabbath Saturday at sundown.
“We hope to have liftoff very soon,” the Governor said.
The Governor, who issued an executive order authorizing “logistical, rescue and evacuation operations” via the state’s Department of Emergency Management, was clear in his intent for at least some of the estimated 20,000 Floridians in Israel to have evacuation options this weekend.
“We wanted to get a flight lifted off prior to Shabbat,” DeSantis said Friday morning. “We didn’t do it, but we also know there are people there from Florida who are not Jewish at all who don’t observe the Sabbath. And so if we’re able to do something over the next, you know, 24 hours while they’re in Sabbath, we can take some of those people who are willing to travel.”
“But we definitely think sundown on Saturday night, we anticipate seeing a lot more,” DeSantis added on Fox News’ “The Faulkner Focus.”
“So if the planes are ready by then, you’re going to see a lot of people be able to be brought back hopefully relatively quickly.”
Logistical issues abound, DeSantis noted, including plane clearance for Ben Gurion Airport.
“Israel may limit the size of the planes that can go into Ben Gurion Airport. So you may have to do a short flight out of the country and then get people on the bigger plane,” DeSantis explained.
The Governor described some of the operational complexities of the mission, though they are alleviated by deep personal connections between Israel and the Sunshine State.
“There’s so many connections. I mean, family members, friends, people are plugged into who’s over there,” DeSantis said, promising that there’s “communication ongoing.”
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