Florida moves forward with $15.5 million plane deal for DeSantis

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.

A negotiation team with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on Tuesday recommended 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 late Tuesday 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.

In a notice posted after the recommendation was made, the law-enforcement agency said it picked the Textron jet after determining it would provide “the best value to the state.” Lawmakers during this spring’s legislative session included a $1.29 million recurring appropriation in the state budget to make payments toward the purchase of the aircraft, the agency said.

“The department reserves the right to hold additional negotiations with Textron Aviation Inc. in order to establish final contract terms and conditions,” the notice added.

When the state advertised to solicit proposals for the plane, it said vendors would need to provide the total bid price, which would include the cost to the state related to the “purchase and delivery of the aircraft, including but not limited to initial deposit, production, inspection(s), delivery costs, pilot training, broker fees and vendor legal fees.”

In late June, four companies submitted bids to the state. However, the negotiation team said it was considering only two airplanes, the Citation Latitude model and a Legacy 450 from Embraer Executive Aircraft Inc. Negotiation panel members voted without explaining their positions.

Once available, the plane will be used to fly the governor on state-related business. It is estimated that the plane will be flown about 400 hours every year.

FDLE spokeswoman Jessica Cary said the public notice on Tuesday starts a 72-hour period before a deal on the plane can be closed. It was not clear how soon the airplane would be available to the governor, with the agency saying it would depend on the delivery date and any necessary pilot training requirements.

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.

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 it experienced a mechanical malfunction, which required an emergency landing.

DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody and DeSantis’ chief of staff, Shane Strum, were on board when the incident occurred, just days after the governor’s inauguration in January.