Sansom the “kingpin” in airport deal
by Michael C. Bender | July 2nd, 2009Former House Speaker Ray Sansom was the “kingpin” in a $6 million budget deal that ultimately resulted in indictments for himself, former Northwest Florida State College President Bob Richburg and RPOF donor Jay Odom.
Richburg referred to Sansom as the “kingpin in this whole operation” in an e-mail included in a set of records released today by the Leon County state attorney’s office. State Attorney Willie Meggs said his office received the records recently as part of a public records request to the college.
The e-mail is one of several that also include reference to then-Senate President Ken Pruitt, a Port St. Lucie Republican who gave Sansom, Odom and Richburg a tour of Indian River State College before the three started their project.
Sansom inserted the project as a college building in the state budget, but a grand jury determined the money was actually to help build Odom an airplane hanger.
Pruitt told the St. Petersburg Times that he did not know the “motivation” of Sansom’s visit.
Tags: indictments, Jay Odom, Ken Pruitt, Ray Sansom
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