Current:Home > InvestThe new Twitter account @DeSantisJet tracks the Florida governor's air travel -NextGenWealth
The new Twitter account @DeSantisJet tracks the Florida governor's air travel
View
Date:2025-04-17 22:36:33
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! (31)
Related
- Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
- Emma Corrin Details “Vitriol” They’ve Faced Since Coming Out as Queer and Nonbinary
- White House pushes tech industry to shut down market for sexually abusive AI deepfakes
- My dying high school writing teacher has one more lesson. Don't wait to say thank you.
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- Family still looking for answers after SC teen, unborn child found dead: Here's what we know about Maylashia Hogg
- Nordstrom’s Half-Yearly Sale Is Full of Epic Home & Fashion Deals up to 60% off, Including SKIMS & More
- Beyoncé only female artist to land two albums on Apple Music's 100 best albums list
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- 'Seinfeld' star Michael Richards reflects on aftermath of racism scandal: 'It hasn't been easy'
Ranking
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Bud Anderson, last surviving World War II triple ace pilot, dies at 102
- More remains identified at suspected serial killer's Indiana estate, now 13 presumed victims
- Wind towers crumpled after Iowa wind farm suffers rare direct hit from powerful twister
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- Police arrest 2 in minibike gang attack on 'Beverly Hills, 90210' actor Ian Ziering
- Street shooting in Harrisburg leaves 2 men dead, 3 people wounded
- Nvidia 10-for-1 stock split: What investors need to know
Recommendation
Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
Person fatally shot by Washington state trooper during altercation on I-5 identified as Idaho man
Are you moving? What to know to protect your belongings and have a smooth experience
FCC to consider rules for AI-generated political ads on TV, radio, but it can't regulate streaming
The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
Psst! Michael Kors Is Having a Memorial Day Sale on Sale, With an Extra 20% off Dreamy Summer Bags & More
By the numbers: There are now more daily marijuana users in the US than daily alcohol users
Louisiana House approves bill to classify abortion pills as controlled substances
Like
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- Former student found guilty in murder of University of Arizona professor Thomas Meixner
- Israel says it will return video equipment seized from The Associated Press, hours after shutting down AP's Gaza video feed