Rubio’s Florida Football Trips Cost Over $1.2 Million

Secretary of State Marco Rubio made at least 23 government-aircraft trips to Gainesville, Florida, since taking office in 2025, including journeys to attend his son’s University of Florida football games. A review of flight records estimated the aircraft’s operating costs at more than $1.2 million, though that figure is not the amount Rubio is required to repay.

The State Department classified 15 trips as solely personal and seven as combining personal and official business. The department classified the remaining trip among the 23 as neither category in the figures reported. The estimate, calculated using published Defense Department aircraft rates, attributed about $770,600 in operating costs to the 15 personal trips and $443,900 to the seven mixed-purpose journeys.

Rubio’s son, Anthony, is a senior and a walk-on running back for the Florida Gators. Rubio attended at least 10 University of Florida games over the past two seasons, including at least five in fall 2026, according to the flight-record review. The reports say he has flown to Gainesville at least 10 times for games.

Federal security rules require Rubio to travel on government aircraft and bar him from flying...