Sansom lands $110,000 college job

State Rep. Ray Sansom was sworn in Tuesday as House speaker. That same day, he became vice president of a state college.

But the news was not released until today by Northwest Florida State College, and even then it did not travel far outside Niceville. Sansom, R-Destin, will earn $110,000 as vice president for development and planning. He starts Dec. 1.

According to a news release, Sansom will address "sustainability and growth issues as the college prepares for the training, education, and support responsibilities that will result from the location of the U.S. Army's 7th Special Forces Group to Eglin Air Force Base from Fort Bragg, N.C., and the opening in the county by 2011 of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Integrated Training Center."

Northwest Florida State College was formerly Okaloosa-Walton Junior College, and Sansom attended in the 1980s. Last session, he supported a bill elevating the school to a state college. Sansom was at Gov. Charlie Crist's side in June when he was at the school for a bill signing ceremony.

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Comments

Following Rubio's example is he? A little personal pork barrel that benefits one constituent--himself.

Another "small government" Republican who has just happened to be a government worker his entire professional life. I guess it just wasteful when other people are sucking on th goverment teat. Boy do we know how to pick'em.

No wonder the poor colleges have no money. Most legislators seem to be on the payroll. Haridopolis got a fake professorship that he never showed up for, he was younger then most the students. Then he got that big fat paycheck from UF, then Evelyn Lynn got a big paycheck from some school and it just seems the legislators get themselves these jobs at our schools all the time.

Maybe Hair-idopolos can attend Barber's College and get that coif of his chopped off for a discount?

Is there a Republican in leadership not on the taxpayer dole?

Ideological hypocrisy at its finest.

When is Sansom up for sunset review?

What an incredibly lucky coincidence for Mr. Sansom.

A mans gotta eat.

coincidence in deed.

what a joke. No local projects... but over $150,000 (state rep + VP monies) and I bet you that OWCC gets a little more attention this year... or next, than it ever has before.

If not from the state, then from the lobbyist. Will the vice president for development and planning reject funds from people or agencies that come before the legislature? It is a smart investment for the school...

Development and planning translate into fundraising. I am sure the speaker will have no problem finding people willing and eager to give to the school.

One way or the other the taxpayers will pay for this $100,000 one hundred times over.

Congrats to the new Speaker! He is an honorable man and passionate about education. Great fit.

Congrats to the new Speaker! He is an honorable man and passionate about education. Great fit.

Honor? hah

Nice, another legislator who created there own position to make money. Sen Lynn did this last year and got busted on it. Shame on you Mr. Speaker, great way to start out your term filled with principal.

Seriously, has Sansom ever had a job in the private sector...he's been an aide, a county comm., okaloosa county school board, a state rep, and now a college staffer. The guys is 45 and hasn't had a private sector job since college I bet. Guy has no clue what its like in the real world. And people wonder why Republicans are faltering; it's cases like this. People see us as hypocrites because we don't practice what we preach.

Watercolor fiasco,do nothing government job the day after his speech. 0-2 so far...it's going to be a long two years.

Why do you need a Vice President to prepare for the Army sending additional troops to Eglin AFB?

A count of how many do this would be nice.....Sansom, Lynn (past) Haridopolis, Dennis JOnes; Thompson, Rubio.we should all try to get elected, then go to work for a university; the best job in town!

[terminator]

gee, I wonder how much money NW Florida College will be getting during session?
Any clue Bueller? Anyone?

[Government for The People!]

Conservative government at it's finest. Dump the GOP ASAP.

We need a law that prohibits all legislators from serving in the legislature while on the public's dime. This practice was unheard of back when the legislature was respected and everyone had real jobs.

Could someone make a list of all our esteemed legislators who also collect public paychecks? This has become disgraceful. It is simply a way for government agencies, who are unable to directly spend tax dollars on big time lobbyists, to use a back door approach by buying their own personal representaives.

We should sunset the entire legislature, go back to paying them $7,500 a year, establish strict rules to stop all the nonsense that has evolved as the legislature has become increasingly dysfunctional and encourage successful, civic minded people(who are not interested in public office as a full time job), to run for the legislaure.

It happened in 1968 and out of that upheaval, the state elected the most respected and effective legislature in Florida's history.

It is time to wipe the slate clean and try again. If we don't, things will never improve.

9:11 I disagree. We need to elect talented career people who are dedicated to civil service and not beholden to business interests. Right now we don't attract people who want to serve, we attract people who want power and wealth from their brief stint at their position.

Just for your info a state legislator makes less than $30,000 a year. Those guys give up alot to serve you, time with their families and jobs were they can make more. Sansom has been in the house 6 years. What have you given up lately to serve your city or state?

10:13 What's your point? Sansom is spouting the usual conservative blather about cutting taxes and services. He's typical of conservatives who in fact hate government. They believe in unfunding government if possible, if not, then abuse the public trust for personal gain and make the voters cynical and disillusioned. It's conservative ideology 101.

We need people in office who believe that government is the way to bring the benefits of democracy to citizens, not cynics who want to eliminate it and return us to a feudal oligarcy where business plunders the resources of the nation unchecked and unregulated.

10:23 is right. I respect anyone who dedicates their life to public service. But it is inconsistent to complain about bloated government and overpaid state public employees, when they themselves are in a government job created just for them.

Slow down Democrats. There are ten times as many Democrats eating out of the university trough than Republicans. Take FSU alone - Askew, de Alemberte, Bradley, Lindner, and on and on. Remember the case of John Mills, former Democrat speaker who signed on at UF? Both parties are guilty. This blatant use of political influence to get a state supported job should be against the law for both parties. How about a three year cooling off period?

conflict of interest?

not in my state legislature!

Then raise the salaries of the legislators to at least $45,000. Why keep it low and pretend that they are giving up so much when in reality they all supplement thier incomes at the taxpayers expense and the quality of job they are doing has steadliy gone down. They keep the legislative sa;ary down to keep the average person from serving. Start looking at their financial disclosures and see how typical these people are or are not. Legislators want to pretend they are not raising their salaries but continue to take from the tax payer, usually at our colleges and universities. Its amazing how many if these legislators suddenly become "professors" What a crock of poo poo. Raise the darn salary and allow other decent citizens the ability to serve and still feed their families. This is why so many people have no faith in our governmnet. Most politicians are rated by the people as lower then trustworthy and people have no faith in them at all. That has allowed the continued raping of the tax dollars, the continued feathering of their nests, the continued corruption, the continued hypocrisy. It is unreal.

I'd say pay them more, so they don't start sucking from the public trough just because they're in the Legislature approving funds that pay for the trough. Of course that would never fly with the public. So we have a bunch who has to do something else to make a living. No wonder they need other jobs. But taking it from the agencies they fund is sleazy No wonder people have no faith in politicians.

Another government "economic development" blowhard getting paid a government salary. They are a dime a dozen and one of the biggest scams ripping off taxpayers. These guys are in every community supposedly working for counties, cities, etc. getting straight salaries with no real incentive to produce real economic development for their salary paying taxpayers. They spend all day playing office, going to trade expos and luncheons, dinners and chamber of commerce meetings in a never ending circle of timekilling getting nothing done. When Samson terms out, he wants to go home to this gig which is a pretty easy one.

Another reason for Republican losses -- and well deserved losses.

Republicans have been doing such things more and longer than Democrats have.

I hope the taxpayers have shaved their legs, they are about to get F-worded.

This is a bi-partisan employment issue. Both D's and R's work for governments and related agencies all over the state. It has always been that way. When you have a part-time legislature you are going to have people who come from all walks of life. It is the getting hired while in office that should be the issue.

Pray, name for me all the legislators that presently work for a state agency or state-funded institution.

Way too many.

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Yes, this is a bipartisan issue, which makes it even more critical that we, regardless of our politics, should want to stop these scams. There are D's and R's who have for years used their political power and influence and quid pro quo approach to get jobs in state agencies, universities and colleges.

In this case, Okaloosa Walton Community College, now named, thanks to Sansom, Northwest Florida State College for Crooks, has a history of a president who hired two speakers -- a record to be noted. The first was a D, Bo Johnson, who brought home the bacon for the college and got a job, and then went to jail. Now, we have a R Speaker who has also brought home the bacon to our home town college. Kudos to Richburg, who not only retired for a month, got rehired, and got a half million payout, now back on the public payroll getting retirement and a big payment from taxpayers. He deserves an academy award for dereliction of duty, honor, and public trust, not to mention masterful manipulation of pea-brained politicians. Word is he retires in two years, just in time for the speaker to follow in the same path of T.K. Wetherell from speaker's office to college president. The pork gets better and better for the panhandle. Taxpayers get the shaft.

I like having the dollars come to my home town, but I'd rather it be private sector business capital instead of pork from my tax dollars. We are rapidly headed to socialism when politicians are setting up jobs for themselves and their friends and relatives through pork.

Dems and Reps are both guilty, and partisanship is not the point -- the political groupies on both sides need to become believers in Democracy and ethics and the good state of Florida and the free enterprise system again, instead of petty pandering for party politics. Otherwise, taxpayers lose again.

Where is the leadership in this state? Surely there are elected officials on both sides who will step up to do the right thing.