TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The head of the state agency now tasked with handling Gov. Ron DeSantis’ migrant relocation program told a Senate committee on Tuesday that he was not sure whether he will continue the state’s arrangement with Vertol Systems Company, the politically-connected aviation company paid to transport migrants from Texas to Massachusetts.
“The answer to that question is, I don’t know,’’ said Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie when asked if he would continue to use Vertol, the company handpicked by the governor’s public safety czar. Florida legislators met in special session this month and transferred management of the migrant relocation program from the Florida Department of Transportation to the Division of Emergency Management Services, which Guthrie heads.
Records show that Vertol, a Destin-based company, was paid $615,000 by the DeSantis administration to fly migrants from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, and paid another $950,000 for “projects 2 and 3’’ that have yet to be completed.
