Posted in Politics

Call for Sansom to resign

   Published Date: December 3, 2008

Florida Democrats are calling for Ray Sansom to resign either from Northwest Florida State College or the Florida House speaker.

Press release:

Today Florida Democratic Party Chair Karen Thurman called on Speaker Ray Sansom to step down from his position with Northwest Florida State College or as Speaker of the Florida House.

“In response to our state’s economic crisis and ballooning deficits the Republican leaders in the legislature, including Speaker Ray Sansom, have said that Floridians need to ‘tighten their belts’ and make sacrifices to justify their massive cuts to education, healthcare, and public safety, as well as raising tuition rates on Florida’s college students by as much as 15 percent. With media outlets across Florida reporting that our state was forced to cut more than $4 billion from education, healthcare, and public safety programs, Sansom delivered more than $25 million in additional funds to Northwest Florida State College. Less than a year later, Northwest Florida State College hired Sansom for a $110,000 a year, part-time job,” said Thurman.

“The appearance of impropriety is too great for Ray Sansom to as remain Speaker and keep his job with the Northwest Florida State Colleage; therefore it is only appropriate for him to resign from one or both jobs. In doing so, Sansom can lead by example in these tough times.”

As the Palm Beach Post reported, this has become a disturbing pattern for Republican leaders over the past several years.

In the spring, Sen. Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach, gave up the pay from a $2,300 per week position she accepted in a Florida State University reading research project that she helped create as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, was roundly criticized for taking a $75,000 job as a part-time lecturer at the University of Florida while the state struggled with budget cuts.

In his final days as state House speaker this year, Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, accepted a part-time job at Florida International University that pays him $69,000.