SHAMBLES

DeSantis Touted His Israel Rescue Flights—Then Left Americans Stranded in Cyprus

The CEO of a nonprofit that teamed up with Florida on the project accused DeSantis of rushing it to boost his presidential campaign.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ attempt to rescue Americans trying to leave Israel ran into trouble this week with two dozen people stuck in Cyprus for days before they finally arrived in Florida on Wednesday. Bryan Stern, CEO of Project Dynamo, a nonprofit that teamed up with the governor on the project, accused the DeSantis administration of organizing a hasty operation to boost his 2024 presidential campaign. “That is why the state people were in a rush to get a flight loaded and off the ground,” Stern told The Orlando Sentinel. A passenger named Stuart Zins agreed with Stern’s assessment, saying that contractors hired by Florida caused the delays. “We thought we were going to fly out of Cyprus the same day,” he said, adding that it was three or four days later. Zins’ group of 23 Americans was delayed on Saturday because their plane had mechanical problems. Florida’s contractors had a different jet ready for Wednesday that would be stopping in Athens earlier to pick up more people, but the plane ended up being nearly empty. On Thursday, DeSantis posted a clip on social media boasting of his accomplishments, writing, “While the federal government drags its feet, we are delivering results.”