Documents released Friday evening by the Florida Department of Transportation suggest the state may send migrants to Delaware and Illinois next.
The owner of Vertol Systems, the flight contractor, wrote state officials on Sept. 15 they would fly 50 people to Delaware for $425,000 and 50 people to Illinois for $525,000 between Sept. 19 and Oct. 3.
Just a day before, the first flight of 48 mostly Venezuelan migrants arrived in Martha’s Vineyard to much attention and media coverage.
Some major Democratic donors and politicians, including former President Barack Obama, have homes on Martha’s Vineyard.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis claimed credit for using a $12 million Florida program to move the migrants form the San Antonio area to Massachusetts. He told reporters afterward the program was meant to draw attention to the immigration issue and to get northern Democratic-leaning states to help with the large number of migrants crossing into the country.
The second and third projects have not yet happened.
In another document released Friday, James Montgomerie, the owner of Vertol Systems, wrote state officials on October 8, they would extend the timeframe for the flights until Dec. 1.
The second and third projects cost the state $950,000. According to a state contractor database, the payment has already been made.
NBC 6 reached out to Montgomerie for more information but has not yet heard back.
Florida state lawmakers approved the $12 million program, paid for by interest collected on federal tax dollars sent to Florida to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, the state has paid $1.5 million out of the $12 million.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Inspector General began an investigation on whether this was a proper use of federal dollars. The communications director for DeSantis’s office argues federal rules allow the program.
However, the state law and FDOT guidelines released to NBC 6 through a public records request detail how the program was required to find migrants within the state of Florida. State Senator Jason Pizzo, D-Miami, filed a lawsuit against DeSantis and other state officials claiming they violated those directions since the first group of migrants were relocated from Texas.
DeSantis’ office has criticized the lawsuit saying Sen. Pizzo “…is challenging an action on appropriation he voted for.”
Pizzo told NBC 6 he opposed the specific migrant program but did vote for the budget as a whole where it was included. He said he was under the impression migrants were going to be found in Florida per how the law was written.
The latest documents released from the Florida Department of Transportation also state the contractor will find people in the state of Florida for the projects involving Delaware and Illinois.
At several press conferences last month, DeSantis defended the program and said the flights would continue as a response to the Biden Administration reversing the “remain in Mexico” policy and moving migrants around the country earlier this year.
“No one really cared about that on the national media perspective until 50 show up in Martha’s Vineyard,” DeSantis said. “You have to ask yourself on this, why is that such a big deal, but it wasn’t a big deal when some 50 migrants died in some shed in Texas.”
