A state employee filed an ethics complaint against Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink today alleging that the Democratic gubernatorial candidate misused the state plane.

The complaint, filed by Jose Lorenzo, charges that Sink used the plane illegally to shuttle her husband and son between Tallahassee and their home near Tampa and also for the first leg of a personal jaunt to the Bahamas.

Lorenzo is a lawyer who works for the Department of Education, he said.

“I’m just a citizen a taxpayer and I’m just concerned of the misuse and considering the travels of none other than the chief financial officer,” Lorenzo said. “I believe that with all the budget cuts that agencies are facing this is quite ironic and unfortunate and it really concerns me.”

A review of Sink’s and Attorney General Bill McCollum’s use of the state plane by The Miami Herald and The St. Petersburg Times found that the Cabinet members frequently used the state plane to ferry them between the Capitol and their Central Florida homes. McCollum, a Republican, is also running for governor.

Sink has used the plane to pick up or drop off family members but has reimbursed the state for those charges.

Last week, Sink ordered her office to investigate her use of the state plane in response to questions about whether she was using it strictly for state business.

Tags: 2010 campaigns, Alex Sink, Bill McCollum

This entry was posted on Monday, June 29th, 2009 at 12:46 pm and is filed under 2010 campaigns, Alex Sink, Bill McCollum. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.