Floridians evacuated from Haiti in first state-led rescue flight

A plane carrying 14 Floridians who asked the state of Florida to rescue them from Haiti landed at the Orlando airport on Wednesday evening, marking the first rescue flight coordinated by the DeSantis administration since a violent gang takeover began threatening the Caribbean nation.

“We can finally report that a plane carrying passengers has left Haitian airspace,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a press conference. “This will be the first of probably many flights to bring people — U.S. citizens, obviously — who are in harm’s way given what is going on in Haiti.”

The state has identified about 360 Florida residents who are in need of rescuing from Haiti. But getting them out has proven difficult, DeSantis told reporters.

“It is not as simple as showing up with seats on the plane,” the governor said. “We thought we were going to do two flights yesterday, but that didn’t end up happening.”

Details about the rescue mission are scant, but DeSantis said the state has personnel on the ground and that the flights are being done at no cost to evacuees. The state has contracted four private vendors to help with different aspects of the operation.

“Due to the nature of this activation and for the safety and security of these vendors,” state officials said they could not say who those vendors were at this time.

Flight data shows that the state charted a twin-jet to bring the 14 Floridians back to the U.S. They landed at 6:10pm at the Orlando International Airport.

Due to safety concerns, state officials are not saying where in Haiti they are operating. A violent upheaval in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, has been ongoing for days as armed groups target key government facilities, including airports and seaports.

Kevin Guthrie, the director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, said the state was committed to ensuring people’s safety.

“We are picking people up at their front door, getting them into a plane, getting them to this airport and getting them to their front door in Florida,” Guthrie said. “That is what we are committed to doing.”

Many U.S. citizens stranded in Haiti have increasingly resorted to private rescue missions — dangerous journeys without the support or often knowledge of the U.S. or Haitian governments — to leave the country.

Read more: Florida missionary tells of ‘risky’ overnight rescue out of Haiti

For years, the State Department has warned Americans not to travel to Haiti and urged those living in the country to depart. Now, amid gang violence and a crumbling government, departures are far more difficult, with nearby gunfire closing the international airport, and the neighboring Dominican Republic shutting the border to Haitian citizens, including those with dual nationality.

The State Department chartered a plane to fly U.S. citizens out of Cap-Haïtien this week. But government officials warned Americans that their travel to the northern coastal city would be perilous and taken at their own risk.

DeSantis said the state’s efforts have been met by “tough situations.” On Wednesday, state personnel ran into a police roadblock as they tried to get people into the landing zone, Guthrie told reporters.

“It is a very fluid situation,” Guthrie said. “It is a very dangerous situation.”

Logistically, DeSantis and Guthrie complained about “federal bureaucracy” slowing down the state’s efforts in recent days.

“We are just running into problem after problem getting people vetted. Again, not vetted on the Haiti side, vetted on our side,” Guthrie said. “It is a very, very difficult, arduous process.”

DeSantis said the state will continue to coordinate rescue missions in Haiti, as hundreds of Florida residents remain stranded there.