DeSantis claimed credit for a pair of chartered flights on Wednesday that carried around 50 migrants to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, as part of a broader Republican effort to shift responsibility for border crossers to Democratic leaders.
"There may be more flights, there may be buses," he said to cheers and applause from backers in the crowd.
The state paid $615,000 to Vertol Systems Company Inc, an aviation business, on Sept. 8 as part of a "relocation program of unauthorized aliens," Florida state data showed.
The flights to Martha's Vineyard follow a busing effort by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, another Republican, that has sent more than 10,000 migrants to the Democrat-controlled cities of Washington, New York and Chicago since April.
The Republican governor of Arizona also has sent more than 1,800 migrants to Washington.