Governor Ron DeSantis greets hundreds of Americans evacuated from Israel as they land in Tampa
TAMPA, Fla. - Hundreds of Americans who flew home from Tel Aviv were home safe Monday after landing at Tampa International Airport where they were greeted by Governor Ron DeSantis and his wife, Casey, hours earlier.
A group of 270 American passengers, including 91 kids and four dogs, flew in after getting stuck for days in Israel as the Israel-Hamas War began. They went through Portugal and landed at the Tampa International Airport. Nearly a third of the passengers were Floridians.
Governor DeSantis and state emergency management officials worked to support the efforts of local non-profit, Project Dynamo, which is a veteran-led group of volunteers who dedicate their time to leading rescue missions in war zones and disaster areas.
CEO & Co-Founder Bryan Stern said he and his team left for Israel the day after the attacks from Hamas, launching what they call 'Operation Promised Land.' He added that they've had a few smaller planes of evacuees come back to the United States over the last week, but this was their biggest charter yet.
"There’s more to do in a rescue. This isn’t just go to the airport, get on a charter flight, and fly. We got there the day after the massacre, and we’ve been moving people around the country, we have a whole ground movement," Stern said, who described what it was like being on the ground in Israel. "It's not just going to the airport. We have a free plane. It's incredibly dangerous. It's incredibly scary. All these people are taking missile fire. It's dicey. And they're not soldiers."
Ron and Linda Neumann of Melbourne spent 18 months in Israel working on a dual citizenship before the terror attacks. They were desperate to get out of the country.
Governor Ron DeSantis greets hundreds of Americans who were evacuated from Israel after they landed in Tampa on Sunday.
"I was just so concerned we wouldn't get on that plane, and they got us on a plane. It was like, amazing. Amazing. I mean, I can't tell you how good it feels to be home," said Ron Neumann, adding they had two other flights canceled at the last minute. "We love Israel. It's our people, and we just pray for protection for Israel after this terrible attack. And we're thankfully back home, and we're safe. But yet this dual feelings of our friends...they're there right now. We just pray for their safety."
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This was Project Dynamo's 602nd mission and their fourth time going to a war zone within the last year. Stern told FOX 13 its funding is entirely donor-based and this was the first time an American, or state politician, aided in one of its international rescue missions.
It came after the governor signed an executive order last Thursday that enables the Florida division of emergency management to bring Floridians home and transport supplies out to Israel.
"When we do executive orders, it frees up the ability to access funds, since I have been governor, we have established a disaster find every year that we replenish, so you just go, you use what you need to do and then, if you get reimbursed, you do, I don’t think the feds will reimburse us for this, but that’s fine we want to do what’s right," DeSantis explained.
There were not just Floridians on this plane, but people from all over the country and even a man living in the Czech Republic.
According to the governor's team, once the plane landed in Tampa, evacuees were able to access resources from multiple state agencies. Additionally, they're sending medical supplies, hygiene products, clothing and children's toys to Israel to help.
The Florida Department of Emergency Management says three more flights are expected to be landing in Tampa within the next week or so.