Whitmer's Trip To Florida Was Funded Primarily By Nonprofit: Memo

LANSING, MI — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's much-maligned March trip to Florida to visit her chronically ill father was funded primarily by a nonprofit organization, according to an internal memo distributed to her administration on Friday.

The rest of the four-day trip — which included a private plane and previously was described as "two full days or less" — was paid for out of Whitmer's pocket, according to the memo, which was distributed by Whitmer's Chief of Staff and released to Patch on Friday.

According to the memo, Whitmer left on March 12 and returned from Florida on March 15. The trip was four days in its entirety, including two full days in Florida. It was funded through a more than $27,000 payment from Michigan Transition 2019, with Whitmer paying the balance of about $850 for her seat, according to public donor and expense reports.

"Excluding days devoted in part to travel, the governor was visiting her father for two days, and continued to work throughout her trip," the memo reads. "Throughout the pandemic and during the trip, the governor has followed COVID-19 protocols. Michigan has not had any limitations on travel for nearly a year."

Related: Whitmer Criticized For Traveling Out Of State During Pandemic

Whitmer's office disclosed how her trip to Florida was paid for following weeks of criticism by Republican officials.

Chris Gustafson of the Republican Governor's Association said Whitmer's "hypocrisy knows no bounds" when news of her trip first broke in April.

"Gretchen Whitmer's hypocrisy flies in the face of every Michigander who has persevered through Whitmer's disgraceful response to COVID-19," Gustafson said in a statement at the time. "While telling Michiganders not to travel, Whitmer flew down to Florida and proved once again that the rules to her or her family don't apply. It's time for Gretchen Whitmer to go."

Whitmer's office said a decision was made to use a chartered flight for the trip due to ongoing security and public health concerns. Leading up to the disclosure on Friday, her administration had said the date she traveled to Florida had not been released after the fact for security reasons.

"The governor's flight was not a gift, not paid for at taxpayer expense, and was done in compliance with the law," the memo reads.

Michigan's daily coronavirus positivity rate during Whitmer's trip to Florida ranged from a seven-day average of 5.3 percent to 6.2 percent. The state's seven-day average peaked at 18.5 percent on April 8.

As of Friday, 873,335 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in Michigan. The death toll in the state is at 18,500.