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‘Wheels up!’ DeSantis takes decisive action to rescue Americans from Israel; X users compare to fed response

October 13, 2023 | | Print Article

Governor Ron DeSantis took decisive action on Thursday to bring Floridians who are stranded in Israel safely home.

The Republican presidential candidate signed an Executive Order designating the state’s Director of the Division of Emergency Management as the State Coordinating Officer and directing him “to execute the State’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and other response, recovery, and mitigation plans necessary to” protect the people of Florida who have suddenly found themselves in the middle of a brutal war, “including any logistical, rescue, or evacuation operations.”

“There are more than 20,000 Americans, including Floridians, in Israel who wish to return home but are unable to do so,” DeSantis’s Director of Communications Jason Mahon said in a statement. “This Executive Order allows the State of Florida to carry out logistical, rescue and evacuation operations to keep its residents safe.”

“Specifically,” he added, “this order enables the Florida Division of Emergency Management to bring Floridians home and transport necessary supplies to Israel.”

“About 1,000 of them are from Florida, his admin says,” criminal defense attorney Maria Medvin reported on X. “I asked his team if Florida will charge Americans for the flights like the Feds will, and they said NO!”

Yes, the State Department also announced on Thursday that, beginning on Friday, “the U.S. government will arrange charter flights to assist U.S. citizens and their immediate family members who have been unable to book commercial transit and seek a safe means of departing Israel. From these locations, individuals will be able to make their own onward travel arrangements to the destination of their choice.”

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“Senior State Department officials are actively working with airline carriers and international partners on how best to provide additional options to U.S. citizens seeking to depart Israel or conduct onward travel to the United States. U.S. citizens in need of assistance should complete the crisis intake form on travel.state.gov,” the department said.

“We continue to monitor the situation closely and evaluate the demand from U.S. citizens for assistance in departing Israel on a real-time basis but expect these initial travel options to facilitate the safe departure of thousands of U.S. citizens per week,” it stated. “The overall security situation, availability and reliability of commercial transportation, and U.S. citizen demand will all influence the duration of this departure assistance.”

But, as many on X have pointed out, a rescue from the Feds comes at a price.

According to the State Department’s travel.state.gov, “By taking a U.S. government coordinated transport, evacuees are obligated to repay the cost of their transportation.”

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“The amount billed to evacuees is based on the cost of a full fare economy flight, or comparable alternate transportation, to the designated destination(s) that would have been charged immediately prior to the events giving rise to the evacuation,” the website explains. “Because different evacuation transports may go to different destinations, the cost of one transport may be different than another. We encourage people to leave on the first transport they are able and eligible to board.”

Evacuation loan payments should be made “to the U.S. Department of State through the Comptroller and Global Financial Services (CGFS) office in Charleston, South Carolina,” the department continues.

“Payment will be due within 30 days from the bill date,” it instructs evacuees. “In accordance with federal debt collection regulations, if full payment is not received within 30 days from the due date, interest and a $50.00 administrative charge for processing and handling will be assessed.”

While some may wonder why the Biden administration would saddle people in dire need with a loan payment when it is fighting so hard to forgive the loans of America’s students, it should be noted that this has, in fact, been a long-standing policy of the U.S. government. It is not a practice that was put in place by President Biden, and it is not specific to the crisis in Israel.

Still, the contrast between the Feds and DeSantis’s approach to protecting American citizens isn’t going unnoticed.

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“Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, this is El Capitán speaking,” wrote one user on X following the announcement of DeSantis’s Executive Order. “On behalf of DeSantis Airlines, it is my pleasure to welcome you aboard Flight 007 with service to Tel Aviv, Israel and continuing service back to Miami.”

“Thank-you for flying DeSantis Airlines and welcome aboard,” the user wrote.

In response, Gov. DeSantis had two promising words: “Wheels up!”

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Melissa Fine
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