Rep. Sansom resigns

Former Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom resigned his office this evening, a day before the House was set to convene an special hearing to investigate alleged ethics violations by the Destin Republican.

Rep. Sansom has spent more than a year under fire for his dealings with Northwest Florida State College. Allegations of impropriety arose when Rep. Sansom accepted a high-paying job at the college on the same day he was sworn in as House Speaker in November 2008. Although Rep. Sansom resigned the job and later his position as Speaker, he continued to be dogged by allegations that he steered huge appropriations to the college and his supporters.

Of particular note was a $6 million appropriation for a “multi-use training facility” at Destin Airport, which prosecutors now contend was planned to be used as an airplane hangar by Sansom campaign donor Jay Odom. The fallout over the project resulted in indictments against Rep. Sansom, Mr. Odom, and college president Bob Richburg. While charges of official misconduct and perjury were dismissed, all three men currently face charges of grand theft and conspiracy.

Rep. Sansom’s resignation preempts a potentially ugly public process which could have proved deeply embarrassing for the Republican Party of Florida and party leaders. Among those who had been subpoenaed to testify in the hearing was former House Speaker Marco Rubio, currently a serious Republican contender for the U.S. Senate.

In his letter of resignation, Rep. Sansom said that his decision “should not be received as an admission of any wrongdoing.” He added, “”On the contrary, I have steadfastly maintained that I am innocent of any wrongdoing and I will never relent from that position.”

Rep. Sansom’s resignation letter is embedded below:

Download sansomresignation.pdf (PDF, 71.51KB)