WEST PALM BEACH, FL — Earlier this month, a South Florida company launched a membership program that it says will give Florida residents and seasonal homeowners access to pre-arranged air evacuation before hurricanes narrow travel options.
PriorityEvac, based in West Palm Beach, said in a news release that the service is designed to activate based on objective National Hurricane Center forecasting criteria.
The program is aimed at people trying to avoid the gridlock, sold-out flights and rising costs that often come as storms approach Florida.
"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," Jason Murgio, founder of PriorityEvac, said. "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."
The program currently serves 12 counties on Florida's east and west coasts, including Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, as well as the Tampa Bay, Sarasota and Southwest Florida regions.
Flights are operated by Global Crossing Airlines and depart from Miami International Airport, Palm Beach International Airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Tampa International Airport, Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, and Southwest Florida International Airport.
The destination is Atlanta, which is outside Florida's primary hurricane impact corridor, the company said.
Annual membership costs $1,250 per person and covers the hurricane season from June 1 through Nov. 30.
Membership includes up to two qualifying hurricane evacuation activations per season, with no per-event activation fees or storm-related surge pricing. Household enrollment and optional pet coverage are also available.
"Hurricane evacuations are fundamentally a logistics and timing challenge," Tim Houston, PriorityEvac's chief operating officer, said. "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."
Members who qualify for activation are paired with an assigned case manager to coordinate logistics and provide real-time support.
The operational model was back-tested against more than two decades of Florida hurricane history to maximize evacuation windows before airport closures, roadway congestion and regional demand affect travel, the company said.
PriorityEvac is currently accepting applications for its 2026 member waitlist. Enrollment is subject to operational capacity limits and available evacuation inventory by coverage region.
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