JUST GIVE THE IMMIGRANTS THE MONEY INSTEAD:

Documents obtained from the state agency charged with managing the controversial migrant relocation program explicitly say that its mission was "to relocate out of the State of Florida foreign nationals who are not lawfully present in the United States,'' according to records obtained Friday by the Herald/Times.

That may pose a problem for Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose administration paid a Destin-based aviation company, Vertol Systems Company, more than $1.56 million to transport migrants -- including two Sept. 14 flights from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, even though the 48 Venezuelan passengers never set foot in Florida. [...[

The document, labeled "memorandum for record" under the company's letterhead, states that the company would provide "services to FDOT, on an ongoing, month-to-month basis, in the form of separate relocation projects."

The Vertol agreement indicates that the first one was to "involve the facilitation of the relocation of up to fifty (50) individuals to the State of Massachusetts or other, proximate northeastern state designated by FDOT based upon the extant conditions. The total price for all Services related to Project 1 is $615,000.00, subject to FDOT approval."

The state agreed to prepay Vertol for the flights, which amounted to about $12,812 per migrant. It made the first payment on Sept. 8, according to state records, and subsequently paid Vertol $950,000 on Sept. 19.

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