What Florida has to do with the war

With the world watching the escalating war between Israel and Hamas, a discussion of Florida politics may seem unrelated.

But Florida is home to one of the world's largest Jewish populations, including dual Israeli-American citizens and Floridians with family and businesses abroad. And since Hamas fighters invaded Israel on Oct. 7, the Sunshine State has played an outsized role in the evacuation of nearly 700 Americans from the conflict zone.

Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order and declared a state of emergency Oct. 12, five days after the Hamas attacks. Decrying the federal government's response to get Americans to safety, DeSantis chartered flights to bring U.S. citizens to Florida. And they won't have to pay the state back (unlike U.S. citizens who call on the federal government for help).

But how much has this emergency response cost and what is DeSantis' end game?

The Tallahassee Democrat, part of the Paste BN network, looked into one organization given as much as $19 million by DeSantis' office to operate the evacuations. And now, DeSantis is touting the flights during his lagging 2024 presidential campaign, raising questions to what end the mission serves.

Keep reading for more headlines about Israel and Hamas from the Paste BN Network.

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