Current:Home > NewsThe new Twitter account @DeSantisJet tracks the Florida governor's air travel -Trailblazer Capital Learning
The new Twitter account @DeSantisJet tracks the Florida governor's air travel
View
Date:2025-04-13 17:31:16
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! (1)
Related
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
- Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
Ranking
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
Recommendation
Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes