Speaker Sansom Feathers Nest At Hometown College

Well, that didn't take long.

Newly sworn-in Florida Speaker of the House Ray Sansom wasn't even on the job a day when it was revealed he also took another new job - a $110,000-a-year vice president's position at his alma mater, Northwest Florida State College, formerly known as Okaloosa-Walton Community College.

A few days later the St. Petersburg Times reported that Sansom, R-Destin, had taken a modest $1 million state funding request by the college last year and boosted it to an eye-popping $25.5 million campus building project. Follow-up reports now say Sansom's cozy college job was never advertised and no other applications were invited.

In one of the leanest budget cycles in years, Sansom used his power as House budget chief to ladle a pile of pork on his would-be employer. So while students at larger community colleges - such as Hillsborough and Miami-Dade - struggle with mushrooming enrollment, tiny 15,000 Northwest Florida Community College has more building money than it can reasonably spend in a year.

And if that wasn't brazen enough, Sansom now has the gall to preach fiscal responsibility and belt-tightening. He has proven he's no fiscal conservative - at least when it comes to indulging his hometown college and employer.

Northwest Florida State College will use its building money windfall for a classroom building, remodeling its student services center and a variety of projects. Sure, these are things a growing college will need, but Northwest Florida could have taken the money in smaller annual increments like every other college has to when drawing on limited state construction funds.

The citizens of Florida have a right to expect someone in Sansom's position to consider the needs of the entire education system - and the welfare of taxpayers.

This is parochialism at its worst. And where was Gov. Charlie Crist, who could have and should have vetoed the line-item appropriation?

At least Sansom's job is paid through a privately endowed fund, so no taxpayer money ends up in his pocket. But the essence of what he has done is no different than the offensive conduct of several other lawmakers who have turned Florida's institutions of higher education into places to feather their own nests.

Take Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, who won himself a cushy $75,000-a-year job as a part-time lecturer at the University of Florida last year.

It was a definite step up from his equally plush job at Brevard Community College, where he earned $38,000 a year - but didn't have to teach, only produce a book on the Legislature.

There's also Sen. Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach. Last spring she was discovered to have snagged a $2,300-per-week position at Florida State University overseeing reading research projects - a program she helped create as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

And then there's former House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, who accepted a part-time job at Florida International University that pays him $69,000.

Sansom should understand that in catering so audaciously to one part-time employer, he has destroyed his credibility with his most important boss: the people of Florida.