Documents released through public records requests give more details on how the state of Florida paid to move migrants from Texas to the small island community of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts last month. More than 50 pages show contracting guidelines, emails, and other proposals for the operation.
The documents appear to show a violation of state contract guidelines given to companies bidding for the transportation job. This, despite the contractor agreeing to follow all guidelines and state law.
NBC 6 reported earlier how state lawmakers approved $12 million to move “unauthorized aliens” from within the state of Florida. These migrants were found and transported from Texas to Massachusetts. A state senator has filed a lawsuit over that possible violation of state law, asking a judge to stop the program.
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According to recently released guidelines from the Florida Department of Transportation, the program was meant to “assist in the voluntary relocation of unauthorized aliens who are found in Florida.” The contractor Vertol Systems agreed on paper that it "shall meet all FDOT terms and conditions" according to a memo released. The agreement also highlighted the language creating the program, laying out "unauthorized aliens" must be find in Florida.
These guidelines may bolster the lawsuit from Florida State Sen. Jason Pizzo asking a judge to stop the program immediately.
“No one approved you (Gov. Ron DeSantis) to spend this money outside the state of Florida on an issue or condition that was not existing," said Pizzo, D-Miami. "We were sold a bad bill of goods that there’s an existential crisis going on with immigration inside the state of Florida. So there should have been plenty of people to choose from. You don’t have to go all the way to Texas."
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NBC 6 requested comment from DeSantis’s office and has not yet heard back. In the past, he’s said the migrants were moved from Texas because they may have eventually moved to Florida. Most of the 48 migrants were originally from Venezuela. Part of the program, according to DeSantis at an earlier news conference, was to highlight the number of immigrants crossing the Mexico-United States border and to get northern more democratic states more invested in the problem.
The contract guidelines also required the contractor, Vertol Systems, to check in with FDOT throughout the operation and confirm whether the migrants were “unauthorized aliens” under federal law. The migrants’ attorneys told NBC 6 most are permitted to be in the United States because they are seeking asylum and should not have been transported.
The documents released included emails between the Florida Department of Transportation’s general counsel and James Montgomerie, the owner of Vertol Systems. The emails show estimates for moving migrants from Florida to Los Angeles and Boston. Los Angeles was near twice the price. The migrants were eventually moved near Boston, where many democratic politicians and donors have houses in Martha’s Vineyard.
NBC 6 texted and called Montgomerie for a response and has not yet heard back. More documents are likely to emerge in this case as Pizzo’s court challenge gets its first hearing in the days ahead.
The documents also reveal two other companies submitted paperwork to be involved: Gun Girls Procurement Solutions Inc. and Wheels Up.
Susan Kushlin, the president of Gun Girls, told NBC Boston her company did not get the bid and was not involved in the flight to Martha’s Vineyard. She did not comment any further. Her company quoted the state of Florida $26,000 to transport up to five people with a bilingual security officer to Massachusetts. Her company often does work with the Florida Department of Corrections according to the state contractor portal.
Wheels Up is a New York charter jet company. They also sent a brochure with pricing to the state, according to the documents.
Florida-based Vertol Systems Co. eventually received the contract. That company has received $1.5 million out of the $12 million approved by lawmakers for two trips. Only one trip for $615,000 has become reality. The second trip, worth more than $900,000 according to state documents, appeared to be canceled.
Several of the migrants’ attorneys have also filed suit against the DeSantis administration. Sheriff Javier Salazar from Bexar County in Texas has launched an investigation because the migrants were originally recruited from the San Antonio area. Governor DeSantis said at a news conference last month the program would continue.
