Ron DeSantis's Cessna Citation Latitude N943FL flies from Tallahassee to Pensacola in 37 minutes

Ron DeSantis's aircraft, a 2019 Cessna Citation Latitude registered as N943FL and operated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, departed Tallahassee International Airport at 16:22 UTC on Monday, October 19, 2026. It landed at Pensacola International Airport 37 minutes later, at 16:59 UTC. The flight covered a great-circle distance of 150 nautical miles, or 173 miles. The aircraft reached a top ground speed of 383 knots and a highest altitude of 15,675 feet. Our estimate shows the flight burned about 140 US gallons of fuel, producing roughly 1,348 kilograms of CO2, about the same as driving a car 3,338 miles.

The Cessna Citation Latitude is a super midsize jet with a range of 2,700 nautical miles and a top speed of Mach 0.80. It can seat up to nine passengers and has a service ceiling of 45,000 feet. The aircraft is owned by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and is used for executive transport for the governor. The flight used about 6 percent of the aircraft's range.

In the 30 days before this flight, our tracking recorded 38 flights for N943FL, with 29 hours in the air. The most common destinations in that window were Tallahassee, with 17 landings, and Pensacola, with 4 landings. The last landing at Pensacola before this flight was on October 16, three days earlier. The aircraft's home base is Tallahassee International Airport, and its usual destinations include Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville. Recent flights include a trip from Austin to Tallahassee on October 17 and a Pensacola to Austin leg on October 16.

Ron DeSantis was inaugurated as the 46th Governor of Florida on January 8, 2019, and re-elected in 2022 with a 19-point margin. He is a former U.S. Navy JAG officer and U.S. Representative. The state jet attracted scrutiny during the 2024 presidential campaign when it was deployed to early primary states, raising questions about whether state resources were used for political travel. The aircraft costs Florida taxpayers approximately $1.2 million annually in financing. A search of news outlets did not find a specific public event or official reason tied to this particular flight to Pensacola.

The city is home to Pensacola International Airport, which has a longest runway of 7,004 feet. The flight from Tallahassee covered 147 nautical miles from the aircraft's home base. The short hop is consistent with the pattern of in-state travel that the aircraft typically logs.

The aircraft is powered by Safran Arrius 2B2 turbofans and has a maximum takeoff weight of 30,800 pounds. It is the best-selling Cessna jet and features a flat floor and G5000 avionics. The plane typically seats eight passengers, up to nine.

Before this flight, the aircraft had been on the ground for about 42 hours. Its previous tracked landing was at Tallahassee on October 17. The longest leg in the prior 30 days was from Delray Beach to Philadelphia on October 6, covering 836 nautical miles.

The average ground speed for this flight was 246 knots. Tallahassee International Airport has a longest runway of 8,000 feet and an elevation of 81 feet.

This flight adds to the record of N943FL's operations in October 2026, which included 38 flights across 21 airports in one country.