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Crist Demands Money Back From College In Sansom Case

Posted Apr 27, 2009 by William March

Updated Apr 27, 2009 at 04:22 PM

Gov. Charlie Crist has asked Northwest Florida State College to reimburse the state for money indicted former state House Speaker Ray Sansom appropriated for a building at the college that allegedly was to benefit the business of a campaign contributor.

In a letter today to Wesley Wilkerson, Chairman of the school’s board of trustees, which Crist also publicly released, Crist asked that the college reimburse $310,000 for money disbursed to date for the building. The remainder of the $6 million appropriation will be put in reserve while the governor’s office consults with the Legislature, Crist’s announcement said.

The money was for a building officially called the Okaloosa Joint Use Emergency Response Workforce Center.

But a grand jury said the building, located at the Destin airport 15 miles from the college, appeared to be merely an airplane hangar—identical to one real estate developer Jay Odom, a major contributor to Sansom and the state Republican Party, had been unsuccessfully trying for years to get government money to build. Odom wanted the hangar for his charter jet business.

Sansom and college President Bob Richburg were recently indicted by a Leon County grand jury in the case. State Attorney Willie Meggs, prosecutor in the case, said following the indictment that the state ought to get its money back.