Ron DeSantis's FDLE Citation Latitude flies Orlando to West Palm Beach in 36 minutes

Ron DeSantis's state-owned Cessna Citation Latitude, tail N943FL, flew from Orlando International Airport (KMCO) to President Donald J. Trump International Airport (KDJT) in West Palm Beach on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. The flight departed at 22:26 UTC and touched down at 23:01 UTC, spending 36 minutes in the air.

The great-circle distance between the two airports is 124 nautical miles, or 143 miles. The aircraft climbed to 19,000 feet and reached a top ground speed of 419 knots, with an average ground speed of 207 knots. Celebplanes estimates the flight burned about 137 US gallons of fuel, producing roughly 1,320 kilograms of CO2. The Cessna Citation Latitude is a super midsize jet with a range of 2,700 nautical miles, a ceiling of 45,000 feet, and seating for up to nine passengers.

In the 30 days before this flight, N943FL had made one other landing at West Palm Beach, on October 6. The aircraft's home base is Tallahassee International Airport (KTLH). Over the past month, its most common destinations were Tallahassee (17 landings), Pensacola (5 landings), and Pinellas Park (4 landings). A NextEra Energy Embraer Praetor 600 landed at West Palm Beach less than an hour before N943FL.

Ron DeSantis was inaugurated as the 46th Governor of Florida on January 8, 2019, and was re-elected in 2022 with a 19-point margin. He launched and withdrew from the 2024 Republican presidential primary before endorsing Donald Trump. The arrival airport is named for Trump, who maintains a residence at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, about three miles from the airport. According to a report from the Palm Beach Post, Trump was scheduled to hold a fundraiser in Palm Beach on the evening of October 20.

The FDLE Citation Latitude, purchased in 2019 for $15.5 million, costs Florida taxpayers about $1.2 million per year in financing. The aircraft drew scrutiny during the 2024 campaign when flight tracking showed it visiting early primary states at the same time as DeSantis campaign events, leading to ethics complaints and questions about the separation of state business and political travel.

This flight from Orlando to West Palm Beach adds another leg to a busy month of travel for the state-owned jet, which logged 40 flights in the 20 days before this trip.

The aircraft is powered by Safran Arrius 2B2 turbofans and has a maximum takeoff weight of 30,800 pounds. Its typical seating is for eight passengers, with capacity for up to nine. The Cessna Citation Latitude is the best-selling Cessna jet and features a flat floor and G5000 avionics.

Before this flight, N943FL had been on the ground at Orlando for about two hours. In the 30 days prior, the jet visited 22 airports and flew roughly 9,339 nautical miles. The longest leg in that period was from Delray Beach to Philadelphia on October 6, covering 836 nautical miles.