Current:Home > StocksThe new Twitter account @DeSantisJet tracks the Florida governor's air travel -Triumph Financial Guides
The new Twitter account @DeSantisJet tracks the Florida governor's air travel
View
Date:2025-04-15 14:49:02
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! (537)
Related
- Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
- Trump says Kari Lake will lead Voice of America. He attacked it during his first term
- Wisconsin kayaker who faked his death and fled to Eastern Europe is in custody, online records show
- Donald Trump is returning to the world stage. So is his trolling
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Friend for life: Mourning dog in Thailand dies at owner's funeral
- When does the new season of 'Virgin River' come out? Release date, cast, where to watch
- Social media platform Bluesky nearing 25 million users in continued post
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- Mitt Romney’s Senate exit may create a vacuum of vocal, conservative Trump critics
Ranking
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Analysis: After Juan Soto’s megadeal, could MLB see a $1 billion contract? Probably not soon
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- How Hailee Steinfeld and Josh Allen Navigate Their Private Romance on Their Turf
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- In a First, Arizona’s Attorney General Sues an Industrial Farm Over Its Water Use
- In a First, Arizona’s Attorney General Sues an Industrial Farm Over Its Water Use
- Woman fired from Little India massage parlour arrested for smashing store's glass door
Recommendation
Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
Austin Tice's parents reveal how the family coped for the last 12 years
San Diego raises bar to work with immigration officials ahead of Trump’s deportation efforts
Ohio Supreme Court sides with pharmacies in appeal of $650 million opioid judgment
B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
Only about 2 in 10 Americans approve of Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter, an AP
Trump names Andrew Ferguson as head of Federal Trade Commission to replace Lina Khan
'Yellowstone' Season 5, Part 2: Here's when the final episode comes out and how to watch