Records of GOP-sponsored credit card reveal lavish spending by Sansom

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/legislature/records-of-gop-sponsored-credit-card-reveal-lavish-spending-by-sansom/1029531

TALLAHASSEE — Ousted House Speaker Ray Sansom racked up about $173,000 on his Republican Party-issued credit card, taking his family on a trip to Europe, making visits to Best Buy and spending thousands on flowers, clothing, meals and hotels.

As a recession tightened on Florida families, Sansom was spending freely, records show, on tuxedo rentals, Chinese food and a steady flow of coffee — $839 at Starbucks alone. -snip-

Under state law, the specifics of party credit card expenditures are shielded from the public. Only bottom-line amounts are revealed. That makes the Sansom reports all the more eye-catching. He spent $11,475 at Best Buy alone and $8,993 at Friendly Florist in Fort Walton Beach.

Records show that numerous top politicians and officials with the Republican Party of Florida racked up $3.6 million in credit card charges from January 2007 to June 30, 2009, so Sansom's expenses may not be unusual.

The Florida Democratic Party doesn't give credit cards to officials.


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No one is surprised, but this is what we deal with in Florida.