• On the same day Ray Sansom (R-Destin) was named the new Speaker of the House it was announced he had landed a six-figure salary job at Northwest Florida State College. Further reporting revealed that earlier this year, in the midst of a state budget crisis, Sansom quietly steered $25 million to the college even though officials had only requested $1 million.
• Sansom used state resources and staff to fax his job application for the post at Northwest Florida State College that will pay him $110,000-per-year – $25,000 more than his predecessor in the same job. His communications director has since acknowledged this was “not appropriate.”
• The job was unadvertised, no other candidates were considered for the position and Sansom’s application wasn’t included in a public notice for the meeting of the college’s board of trustees before they decided to hire him.
• Northwest Florida State College (formerly Okaloosa-Walton Community College) got more money than any other community college in the state, including Miami-Dade, which has more than ten times as many students enrolled.
• Sansom skirted Sunshine laws by participating in a meeting with the Northwest Florida State College Board of Trustees which was only advertised in an Okaloosa County newspaper - nearly 150 miles from where the meeting would actually take place (Tallahassee.)
• Sansom recently earmarked millions in “education funds” to build a jet hangar for a major donor to his campaign with a financial stake in the project.
• An Internet poll by Progress Florida found 97% of respondents believe Sansom should either resign (51%), quit his college job (23%) or be censured by his colleagues in the House (23%).

Much of the information on this site was compiled from investigative reporting by the Times/Herald/Tallahassee Bureau and Palm Beach Post.

Progress Florida is based on core progressive principles such as community, equal opportunity, and freedom. We are a nonprofit organization promoting progressive values through online organizing, media outreach, and networking with Florida's leading progressive organizations. We advocate for sensible policy solutions and hold our elected officials' feet to the fire by empowering citizens in their communities.

“The past month has shown that my old friend lacks the judgment and character to lead Florida Republicans into the future. Republicans deserve better. So does our state.”
– Fmr. Congressman Joe Scarborough (R-Pensacola)

“How can a person who was so free with the taxpayers' money lead the House through a period of austerity?”
– Miami Herald 12/11/08

“As the state faces its worst budget crisis in decades and with state leaders ready to cut more services, Sansom has lost the credibility needed to be a good steward of taxpayers' hard-earned money.”
– St. Petersburg Times 12/10/08

"I can certainly understand why this doesn't look good, and I can certainly understand the question with the speaker's new job. The big jump in size was certainly something that caught our eye.”
– Kurt Wenner, Florida TaxWatch 12/4/08

“Did Sansom actually believe nobody would connect the dots? He's got a Master's in education, for heaven's sake -- how could he be such a dolt?”
– Carl Hiaasen, Miami Herald Columnist

"The Destin Republican deserves every bit of the grief he's getting."
– NW Florida Daily News (Sansom’s hometown paper) 12/4/08

"How does Mr. Sansom manage to keep a straight face when he tells others to tighten their belts?"
– Orlando Sentinel 12/2/08

"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."
– Tampa Tribune 12/5/08

"The fact that he steered millions to the school and then sent an application from the speaker's office, I find that unbelievable."
– Ben Wilcox, Common Cause