Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has so far paid more than $1.5 million to a politically connected contractor for a program to fly migrants from Texas to northeastern states — but the private jets chartered by the contractor cost only a fraction of that sum.

Newly released public records show the contractor, Destin, Florida-based Vertol Systems Company, was quoted a price of roughly $153,000 for two charter plane trips from San Antonio, Texas, to the Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard.

That leaves about $1.4 million in Florida taxpayer funds unaccounted for.

DeSantis, who is mulling a bid for president after his overwhelming reelection as governor, attracted national attention with the September migrant flights, saying he was highlighting the crisis at the southern border. But the controversial program has so far generated a local criminal investigation, a federal inquiry and several lawsuits, including one from migrants who say they were tricked into boarding the flights with false promises of jobs and aid at the flights’ destination.

The quote for the Martha’s Vineyard charter flights priced out to roughly $2,550 per passenger. It’s not clear how much Vertol was ultimately billed.

In addition to the planes themselves, Vertol had to pay for motel rooms for the 49 South American migrants recruited for the Sept. 14 Martha’s Vineyard flights, as well as meals, duffel bags…