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Ethics Complaint Filed Against State House Speaker

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Sansom, a Republican from Destin, is accused of steering money to Northwest Florida State College in exchange for a job.

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By CATHERINE DOLINSKI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 29, 2008

A Clearwater man has filed an ethics complaint against state House Speaker Ray Sansom in response to media reports that he may have traded state appropriations for a cozy academic job.

David A. Plyer, a Democrat, complained to the state Commission on Ethics that Sansom, R-Destin, "used his public position as a representative of the people "to secure a $110,000 per year job" at Northwest Florida State College.

In his Dec. 8 letter, Plyer cited a newspaper article detailing how Sansom, as House budget chief, steered an extra $24.5 million to the college last spring. The college named Samson to his new academic post in November, on the same day he became House speaker.

"You hear over and over again about how tight things are with the budget, how people are losing their jobs," Plyer said Monday. "Here's the guy who controlled the money, and he came up with $24 million extra from somewhere for his local constituents — and even more specifically, his employer? It was such an apparent snubbing your nose at your constituents."

Most House members remain mute about their leader's relationship with the college, as well as his ties to a developer and campaign contributor who also appears to benefit from the college's earmark.

Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman called on Dec. 9 for a state investigation, which Gov. Charlie Crist publicly dismissed. Crist later said he was not convinced Sansom's critics were drawing the right conclusions.

Crist did not respond Monday to requests for comment. Sansom's office referred questions late Monday to Richard Coates, the attorney hired by Sansom to represent him in the case. Coates could not be reached Monday evening.

Attorney General Bill McCollum's spokeswoman, Sandi Copes, said that as a member of the state Cabinet, McCollum can request an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement but lacks authority to order one. Typically, she said, the governor initiates such investigations.

Plyer, 62, said he did not file his ethics complaint in concert with the Democratic Party. Though he voted as a Democrat in the presidential election, he was a registered Republican during the primary to support candidate Ron Paul.

The state Commission on Ethics does not comment on complaints while determining whether the allegation is legally sufficient for investigation. If the commission investigates and finds that a violation occurred, it can propose penalties for violations ranging from fines to removal from office. But it cannot enforce its recommendations, which it forwards to the governor, attorney general or Legislature.

Ben Wilcox, Florida director of the political watchdog group Common Cause, said it will be hard to prove that Sansom crossed the line because part-time lawmakers are held to low conflict-of-interest standards it would have to be proven that there was a direct quid pro quo offer.

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