Current:Home > ContactThe new Twitter account @DeSantisJet tracks the Florida governor's air travel -TradeStation
The new Twitter account @DeSantisJet tracks the Florida governor's air travel
View
Date:2025-04-15 18:38:41
A new Twitter account is tracking the state government jet used by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — and providing updates after the plane lands.
Jack Sweeney, the 20-year-old who created the popular Twitter page tracking billionaire Elon Musk's private jet, recently debuted the new account following the Florida governor.
Sweeney told NPR that he doesn't have a specific goal in mind for @DeSantisJet other than to "share the information and make it available to everybody that might be interested."
He said he had been intending to create an account following Florida's government jet and eventually got around to it, given the buzz around the expected Republican presidential hopeful.
"It was on my list to do, and with all the things going on, I thought it would be good to bring transparency there to everybody and bring my abilities for everyone else to see where the jet is going," Sweeney said.
Neither the Florida governor's office nor a DeSantis political spokesperson replied to a request for comment.
It's not uncommon for governors — especially those in large states — to take government-owned planes or helicopters on official business. But DeSantis has been criticized for how he's used taxpayer-funded aircraft in the past.
The nonprofit watchdog Integrity Florida said recently that the governor was traveling on a state plane to attend events that resembled campaign rallies, the Orlando Sentinel reported. The group's research director, Ben Wilcox, accused DeSantis of "really blurring the lines between what is considered campaign activity and his public duties of the office," a charge the governor's office denied.
The Twitter account notes that tracked flights "do not guarantee that DeSantis is onboard." Sweeney, an information technology major at the University of Central Florida, said he may also try to track any flights DeSantis takes on the private planes of his political donors.
In December, the account Sweeney created to track Musk's jet was was suspended after Musk bought Twitter and said the account posed a personal safety risk.
A version of the account is back up but provides tracking information on Musk's jet with a 24-hour delay. The page following DeSantis's jet is also delayed by one day.
Sweeney also posts flight tracking information for certain jets he follows on other social media platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook.
veryGood! (39661)
Related
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- Rihanna's Latest Pregnancy Photos Proves She's a Total Savage
- Kim Zolciak Spotted Without Wedding Ring Amid Kroy Biermann Divorce
- How did COVID warp our sense of time? It's a matter of perception
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Country Singer Jimmie Allen Denies “Damaging” Assault and Sexual Abuse Allegations From Former Manager
- The Dakota Access Pipeline Fight: Where Does the Standoff Stand?
- 10 key takeaways from the Trump indictment: What the federal charges allegedly reveal
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- Report Offers Roadmap to Cleaner Biofuels from Non-Food Sources
Ranking
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- Climate Costs Rise as Amazon, Retailers Compete on Fast Delivery
- Thousands of dead fish wash up along Texas Gulf Coast
- Why Maria Menounos Credits Her Late Mom With Helping to Save Her Life
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Kouri Richins, Utah author accused of killing husband, called desperate, greedy by sister-in-law in court
- Perceiving without seeing: How light resets your internal clock
- Don’t Miss These Major Madewell Deals: $98 Jeans for $17, $45 Top for $7, $98 Skirt for $17, and More
Recommendation
Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky Celebrate Son RZA's First Birthday With Adorable Family Photos
Today’s Climate: September 23, 2010
Is lecanemab the Alzheimer's drug that will finally make a difference?
Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
Thousands of Jobs Riding on Extension of Clean Energy Cash Grant Program
Yet Another Biofuel Hopeful Goes Public, Bets on Isobutanol
Despite Electoral Outcomes, Poll Shows Voters Want Clean Economy