A new Florida company is selling $1,250-per-person annual memberships for pre-booked evacuation flights out of Miami International Airport, offering South Florida residents a way to bypass gridlocked highways when a hurricane threatens.
PriorityEvac launched earlier this summer, according to the Miami Herald, and sells season passes covering two storms per year. Flights depart to Atlanta on Airbus A320-family aircraft operated by charter carrier GlobalX. Pets can ride along for an additional $125.
If no storm triggers the service during a season, the company keeps the fee, structured like an insurance premium for a one-way evacuation flight. PriorityEvac does not offer return flights home.
Founder Jason Murgio, a longtime insurance industry professional, told the Herald the idea came after a friend struggled to evacuate Florida ahead of a storm. Last-minute private charters can run into the low five figures, he said, while commercial tickets out of Tampa surged to $1,400 to $3,000 ahead of hurricanes in recent years.
"The whole point was to have something that is reasonably priced, and something that many people could use versus something that is very finite and has a very high price point," Murgio said.
The service activates when a tropical storm warning is issued for the region. Members then receive a departure time notification. PriorityEvac operates from six Florida airports: Miami International, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Tampa International, Sarasota Bradenton International, Southwest Florida International, and Palm Beach's President Donald J. Trump International.
FSU civil engineering professor Eren Erman Ozguven, who studies evacuations, noted that most hurricane evacuees drive to unaffected areas within Florida rather than flying out of state. But he acknowledged valid reasons to go farther, including shelter capacity shortfalls and needs related to pets or medical equipment. During Hurricane Irma in 2017, it took South Florida evacuees one to two days just to reach I-10, with fuel shortages and gridlock adding hours.
Free county resources for residents who need help
Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay residents who cannot afford a premium service or who need specialized transportation have a free option closer to home. Miami-Dade County's Emergency & Evacuation Assistance Program provides evacuation assistance, specialized transport, and sheltering at no cost to eligible residents. Eligibility includes people with access or functional needs, those on life-sustaining electrical equipment, and anyone unable to evacuate on their own.
Registration must happen before an evacuation order is issued. Residents can sign up at miamidade.gov or by calling 311. Applications are available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, and one registration covers a lifetime of eligibility.
Both Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay sit in Miami-Dade's coastal storm surge planning zones. The county designates five zones, A through E, with Zone A at greatest risk from Category 1 storms. Residents can look up their specific zone using the county's online GIS tool. Mobile home residents and people on life-sustaining electrical equipment should evacuate when any hurricane evacuation order is issued, regardless of zone.
The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season runs Monday, June 1 through Monday, November 30. The Village of Palmetto Bay urges residents to text "PBCONNECT" to 24639 for emergency alerts.
