Florida CFO Alex Sink discusses her use of state plane

Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink responds today to stories about her state plane use, saying ''my total intent is to absolutely do the right thing.''

She said her office is still investigating whether she used the plane properly for official state business and she noted that she was the only state official that asked for the Department of Management Services to develop guidelines on state plane use and post the plane travel on the internet.

*

Comments

[Angry Taxpayer]

Sending the plane to Tampa to pick up your son is a "proper use"? Hummmm.

[Do the right thing....]

I'm sure it's confusing to know where to draw the line between state business and using the state plane to make sure you don't miss your flight to the Bahamas.

[NOT]

tough, tough questions from the gaggle...

[GORE WON]

You guys need to give her a break!!!

Dropping McBride off in Tampa is not a big deal!

[Truth Will Set You Free]

She is not the only state official who worked for transparency..in fact, she only asked to get plane records on-line as of May of THIS year..it was the Lt. Governor that quietly (without a press release) asked that all records for the entire year be put on line. She was not the first who attempted to pay for play use...that distinction also goes to the Lt. Governor who attempted to pay in July of LAST YEAR. As for the guidelines--those were already developed by DMS. So what exactly is she doing other than having her own staff investigate her use of the planes...please.

[She's a Democrat---it's what they do--stick it to the taxpayers for their travel costs]

The spending on overseas travel is up almost tenfold since 1995, and has nearly tripled since 2001, according to the Journal analysis of 60,000 travel records. Hundreds of lawmakers traveled overseas in 2008 at a cost of about $13 million. That's a 50% jump since Democrats took control of Congress two years ago.

[Official business?]

Sink at 1:20 mark: "The state plane needs to be used for official business."

Flying to the Bahamas is "official business"?

[breaking the law]

She hired an defense attorney for a reason.

[yea buddy]

That was not me you saw getting on and off on that plane, it was James Carville.

[Buzzard.]

Ummm...who cares.

Give us something interesting to complain about. How about China winning the bid for Iraq oil fields. It appears American blood was not shed for nothing.

[Steve]

As the CFO of Florida, you would think Ms. Sink would know the law and that she would protect our state's assets. She knew or should have known that flying her friends/family on state aircraft needed to be paid. Evidence surfaced that DMS has been covering for them. The IG auditors found that these elected officials have also furnished false billing info to the DMS - and DMS buried the evidence. SAO Meggs in Tally has been asked to do an investigation and he refuses to respond.

The truth about Ms. Sink is just now getting out to the public. The DFS is ripe with gross mismanagement problems. A supervisor was fired a few months ago because he had reported the criminal misconduct of three senior administrators. In one incident, two administrators told an examiner to change her report. The change benefited only the convicted felon that created the problem, and over 40 mortgage fraud victims suffered economic harm as a result. The DFS IG has been asked to investigate and he has done nothing to date.

Further, Ms. Sink has oversight responsibilities over the FL DHSMV. She was furnished with evidence of corruption within the FL DHSMV - and she refused to do anything about it.

Over a five year period, it is estimated that over 50,000 drivers had their civil rights violated because the DMV officials denied the public due process and justice at the admin level of government.

As we get closer to the election, more and more evidence will be revealed about the official misconduct of Ms. Sink and other elected officials.

[Gator(R)]

Wouldn't you love to be the poor schmuck investigating this. If he/she let's her off the hook, it's a fix. Otherwise imagine going to your boss " You misused the plane and you should resigne." Maybe you could look at it as " You misused the plane, but you should see the other guys!"

I think this is a nonissue, but it will be used and resonate with some voters. If significant ot results, I doubt it. But just like anyone who runs for office, you try to throw enough crap at the barn for it to stick, and then see if you can find more crap. If enough accumulates you raise some doubt.

It's a shame, but that's how many vote. I vote straight Republican typically, just as many vote straight Democrat - we ignore the crap no matter how important. It's the ones that actually think a little bit that decide elections. But the 'little bit' is the problem.

[Here is what liberal Democrats secretly want----leftist government rule with no democracy to foul it up for their complete control]

A U.S./U.N. Plot Against Anti-Communist Honduras

The people of Honduras are pleading for media fairness and understanding of how they saved their democratic system of government from an international conspiracy based in Venezuela and Cuba. In desperate messages to the outside world, Hondurans want America to know they do not want former President Manuel “Mel” Zelaya returned to power through the intervention of the United States and the United Nations.

On Tuesday the leftist governments of Barack Obama and Hugo Chavez sponsored a United Nations resolution that condemned the people of Honduras for resisting the spread of communism by evicting a would-be dictator. Many people in Honduras view “Mel” as a puppet of Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, who is destroying the democratic system and the opposition in that country.

In Honduras, demonstrators have appealed to the media to tell the truth. One sign said in Spanish: “CNN: That the entire world opens its eyes...Honduras wants peace not a dictatorship.”

Our media are content to report on the turnout of a couple hundred pro-Zelaya protesters in Honduras, ignoring the many thousands that have demonstrated in support of what their government has done. Some of the demonstrators carried signs saying, “Peace and democracy. Out with Mel and Chavez.” Others said, “Democracy yes; communism no.”

Former President Zelaya is sick for power, a true hypocrite, corrupt and the King of Misinformation. His plot to break the constitutional order and the rule of law in our country has led us into a profound social and political crisis, on which he has bet all of his success on the generation of hatred between classes. His actions have been marked by dividing and confusing Honduran people by adopting the style, advice and funding from left-wing leaders such as Hugo Chávez, Fidel Castro, Evo Morales, Rafael Correa and Daniel Ortega.”

Regarding Obama’s ally, Venezuelan ruler Chavez, UnoAmerica said that “He is tied to Colombian narcotics terrorism (FARC) and to the government of [Iranian President] Ahmadinejad. He finances the Cuban dictatorship. He permanently tramples the Constitution and kidnaps the liberties of the people. He commits electoral fraud. He forcibly represses peaceful and disarmed Venezuelans. He closes means of communication. He hates the Catholic Church.”

Rebutting charges of a “military coup,” UnoAmerica noted that “the Armed Forces of Honduras have been limited to obey the judicial mandate, that which obligates a reestablishment of constitutional order, thus showing its subordination to the civil authority.”

Complicating plans by the Obama White House and its U.N. allies for a forced return of the former president, Honduras Foreign Minister Enrique Ortez told CNN en Espanol that Zelaya was implicated in drug trafficking from Venezuela into the U.S.

At a U.N. meeting on October 13, 2008, Zelaya had openly called for the legalization of drugs-supposedly to reduce violence-just weeks after the George Soros-funded Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy had met to discuss how to pursue such a course of action. The group subsequently released a report calling for a “paradigm shift” on how to handle the illegal drug problem. Billionaire Soros, a long-time funder of campaigns to legalize dangerous drugs, has purchased the services of several former Latin American government officials to push this cause.

At the Tuesday news conference at the United Nations, where a resolution was adopted in favor of returning Zelaya to power, the ousted Marxist ruler was asked if the United States had been behind the “coup” that forced him out. No, Zelaya said. “The United States has changed a great deal,” he explained. He went on to say, “I have listened to President Obama. It is not only that he condemns the events, but he has demanded the restoration of the President,” referring to himself.

On this point, Zelaya was correct. The United States has certainly changed under Obama. When Ronald Reagan was president, the United States assisted pro-freedom forces and endeavored to keep the communists out of Central America. Now, the United States intervenes on behalf of the communists and their allies, using the U.N. as cover.

Zelaya held his press conference at the U.N. with the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Miguel D’Escoto, a communist priest who received the Lenin Peace Prize from the old Soviet Union.

D’Escoto is another one of Obama’s allies, having worked with his Ambassador to the U.N., Susan Rice, to forge a new international socialist order at the recent United Nations Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis. The scheme involves world government financed by global taxes, another cause that is very popular with George Soros.

[Paul D. Harvill]

Both AG McCollum and CFO Sink must get this issue resolved and behind them ASAP.

[Paul?]

do you have a life. what a loser

[why don't reporters do research anymore...]

"She noted that she was the only state official that asked for the Department of Management Services to develop guidelines on state plane use"

Mary Ellen - do some research - DMS has had useage guidelines for quite some time... plus that pesky little entry in Florida Statute might have made you question that statement... but who am I to question a reporter on their ability to obtain facts...

If it is in the movies, on tv or in print, it must be true...

[Awful]

What a whitewash by the press.

If you're here to do the right thing - resign.

[Rockabilly]

Has Kenneth Quinnell's copycat ethics complaint been dismissed yet, the same as his previous ethics complaints were dismissed?

[Steve G]

Stop it already Alex Sink. We don't want to hear more excuse or you trying to cover your butt.

What she should do is just to come out and say she made mistakes and admit to the violation of the law.

[Blue Lizard]

Must have really pained the SP Times to cover something unflattering about Alex.