Why did Ray Sansom go after a $6 million airport building that would ruin his political career?
Marco Rubio.
As
his legal problems mounted last year, Sansom told House
communications director Jill Chamberlin that while he served as the
House budget writer, then-House Speaker Marco called him and said the
Senate had much more PECO money in its budget.
Rubio, Sansom said, told him to "even it out."
So
Sansom said that's why he went after the $6 million for what was
ostensibly an emergency operations and training center. It's not
uncommon for either legislative chamber to try to size up each others'
budgets, and there is no evidence Rubio or anyone else knew that the
building could have been used by a private developer and Sansom friend,
Jay Odom. Rubio has said he delegated authority to Sansom.
The detail is one of many that could have come out had Sansom not quit on Sunday and the House put him on trial for allegedly violating House ethics rules. Among other disclosures:
- Sansom donated $6,000
from his political campaign account to Northwest Florida State College
one month before he was given a $110,000 part-time job there. Sansom
had contributed to the school before but in far less amounts. - Witnesses suggested that Bob Richburg would have become chancellor
of a new state college system he and Sansom helped create through
legislation in 2008. Richburg was to leave Northwest Florida State
College and Sansom would take over as president, according to witnesses.
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