PriorityEvac Launches First Membership-Based Hurricane Air Evacuation Program for Floridians

Annual membership provides pre-arranged hurricane evacuation access, reducing uncertainties

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- PriorityEvac, a first-of-its-kind hurricane evacuation membership program, announced its launch today, introducing a new approach to storm preparedness that provides Florida residents and seasonal homeowners with pre-coordinated evacuation access before a hurricane eliminates evacuation options.

The program provides members with access to a dedicated evacuation network that activates based on objective National Hurricane Center forecasting criteria. Unlike private charter services or commercial options that can become scarce or prohibitively expensive as storms approach, PriorityEvac members enjoy priority access to pre-arranged aircraft.

"Every hurricane season, families face the same difficult reality: roads become gridlocked, commercial flights sell out, and private aviation options become limited just as demand peaks," said Jason Murgio, Founder of PriorityEvac. "We built PriorityEvac to solve that problem. By securing aircraft capacity in advance and establishing objective activation protocols, we're giving members a plan that's already in place before a storm forms. Our mission is simple—move people out early, safely, and without the chaos, scarcity, and price escalation that often accompany major evacuations."

PriorityEvac currently serves 12 counties across Florida's East and West Coasts, spanning Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach to the southeast and the Tampa Bay, Sarasota, and Southwest Florida regions to the west. Flights, operated by Global Crossing Airlines, depart from six designated Florida airports—Miami International Airport (MIA), Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Tampa International Airport (TPA), Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, (SRQ) and Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW)—and transport members to Atlanta, a major transportation hub outside Florida's primary hurricane impact corridor. All flights are operated by Global Crossing Airlines as the air carrier, under its own operating authority and operational control.

Membership is priced at $1,250 per person annually and covers the full hurricane season from June 1 through November 30. The program offers both individual and household enrollment options, along with optional pet coverage. Members receive access to PriorityEvac's network with no per-event activation fees or storm-related surge pricing and are covered for up to two qualifying hurricane evacuation activations per season.

Evacuation operations are led by a seasoned team of emergency management, military, and meteorological experts. Tim Houston, PriorityEvac's Chief Operating Officer, is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel who previously served as Chief of Operations at NORAD/USNORTHCOM, where he coordinated major disaster response and hurricane operations, including multiple Florida hurricane evacuations. Houston oversees evacuation planning and execution, coordinating aircraft operations, member logistics, and activation protocols. Wallace Barnes, a retired Lead Forecaster with the National Hurricane Center, serves as Senior Advisor and Chief Meteorologist. In his role, he oversees storm monitoring and forecasting analysis, helping guide activation decisions and providing timely, data-driven insights as hurricanes develop. During his 18-year tenure at the NHC, Barnes held forecast authority over tropical, subtropical, and extra-tropical cyclones across the Atlantic basin.

PriorityEvac has partnered with Project DYNAMO, a veteran-led American 501(c)(3) rescue organization specializing in high-risk rescue and evacuation operations, crisis and disaster response, and humanitarian assistance worldwide. Since its founding, Project DYNAMO has assisted more than 8,000 Americans and allies in over 50 countries. During PriorityEvac activations, Project DYNAMO provides evacuation case management, communications, logistics coordination, and field support to help ensure members receive timely information, guidance, and assistance throughout the evacuation process. A portion of every membership directly funds Project DYNAMO's humanitarian rescue, evacuation, and disaster-response missions around the world.

"Hurricane evacuations are fundamentally a logistics and timing challenge," said Tim Houston, Chief Operating Officer of PriorityEvac. "Success depends on making decisions before conditions deteriorate—not after. PriorityEvac is built on the same principles used in large-scale emergency response: objectivity, pre-positioned resources, meticulous planning, and disciplined coordination."

"One of the biggest challenges during hurricane season is knowing when to act," said Wally Barnes, Senior Advisor and Chief Meteorologist, PriorityEvac. "Life saving evacuation decisions are often delayed because people are waiting for greater certainty in the forecast. Our approach is built around objective National Hurricane Center data and decades of hurricane forecasting experience, giving members a reliable escape option before conditions eliminate their choices."

When activation criteria are met, members are paired with an assigned case manager who serves as a single point of contact throughout the process, coordinating logistics and providing real-time support. The company's operational model has been back-tested against more than two decades of Florida hurricane history to maximize evacuation windows before airport closures, roadway congestion, and regional demand begin to impair evacuation efforts.

PriorityEvac is currently accepting applications for its 2026 member waitlist. Enrollment is subject to operational capacity limits and available evacuation inventory by coverage region.

For additional information or to apply, visit www.PriorityEvac.com.

About PriorityEvac

PriorityEvac is a membership-based hurricane evacuation program designed to provide Florida residents and seasonal homeowners with access to pre-arranged air evacuation services ahead of major hurricanes. The company combines aviation resources, emergency management expertise, and disaster-response partnerships to deliver structured evacuation solutions during hurricane season. Air transportation is contracted with Global Crossing Airlines, that operates all flights under their own operating authority and operational control. PriorityEvac is solely responsible for the membership program and its sale. PriorityEvac has secured stable pricing by locking in evacuation agreements in advance and financial backing by purchasing a dedicated corporate insurance policy from Dellwood Specialty Insurance Company, an A- rated (AM Best) carrier. This helps PriorityEvac provide members with priority evacuation capacity at a stable membership cost. Members benefit from this stability, but they are not insureds or beneficiaries under the Dellwood policy.

Media Contact:
Elizabeth Traub
212-518-4771 x105
[email protected]

SOURCE PriorityEvac