Gov. Ron DeSantis chartered four jets to bring nearly 1,500 Jewish Americans on a trip to Israel to Israel as the conflict with Iran intensifies.
American participants fled Cyprus from Israel, a Mediterranean island nation, via cruise ships. There, they were supposed to board an airline ticket to Tampa, but according to a statement from Israeli Hainariel, they were funding trips to the country, primarily for young Jewish adults.
The Florida Emergency Management Department wrote on Sunday on Facebook that it is “actively coordinating efforts to support Americans seeking evacuation from Israel’s hostile situation.”
Israel said it would pay all transportation costs for participants.
Two local nonprofits are helping rescue Americans who have made efforts.
The governor’s spokesman, Sierra Dean, urged other Americans left behind in Israel to fill out an emergency evacuation form from Gray Bull Rescue, a Tampa nonprofit that helps rescue citizens in conflict zones.
R-Tampa State Sen. Jay Collins wrote on Sunday, “I’m on my way to Israel to support the rescue of Florida and the Gray Bull with evacuation efforts.”
Another Tampa nonprofit, Project Dynamo, also has a team to help displace Americans in Israel and Jordan, according to Fox 13.
Grey Bull Rescue spokesman Ashley Pontius said he would announce that the first flight to Tampa is expected to arrive later today.
In October 2023, at the start of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, DeSantis’s office said it flew nearly 700 Americans from Israel to Florida. A multi-agency resource center was later established at Tampa International to coordinate state resources and support for nonprofits, according to the governor’s office.
A Tampa International spokesman presented a request for comment to the Florida Department of Transport. The department did not respond in time for public release.
