- Ron DeSantis frequently flies on private jets, including one owned by the Florida government.
- The Cessna Citation Latitude costs $2.1 million to operate for 450 flying hours.
- It can fly non-stop from Los Angeles to New York.
A report by the New York Times on Saturday revealed Ron DeSantis’s lavish travel habits — which often include private air travel.
DeSantis, who just announced he’s running for president, has flown on several private jets owned by his political supporters. The jets include a Bombardier twin-jet and a Gulfstream jet, according to NYT’s report.
DeSantis’ use of private jets is controversial. The majority of his career has been spent in public service and he reported a net worth of $319,000 last year, per NYT. As that’s not enough to afford frequent flights on private jets, DeSantis depends on supporters to fund these travels.
DeSantis, who’s the governor of Florida, acknowledged his frequent use of private jets, but insists that it’s “all legal, ethical, no issues there,” reported NYT.
Since the report, more details about DeSantis’s flight data began to emerge. Jack Sweeney, a college student who tracks Elon Musk’s private jet’s flight data on his Twitter account, told Insider’s Sam Tabahriti that he has started to track DeSantis’s air travel too.
The plane in question is a Cessna Citation Latitude, a business jet manufactured by Rhode Island-based Textron Aviation. Records from the Federal Aviation Administration show that the plane is owned by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. As the jet is government-owned, DeSantis may not be the only one who flies on the plane, Sweeney said in a Twitter post on Sunday.
Take a look inside the Cessna Citation Latitude, similar to the one used by DeSantis. The jet shown in the photos is designed with standard configurations, so there may be differences in interiors.
DeSantis did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.