Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp (far right) giggle as they vandalize a car during their 2006 campaign
Two headlines greeted Floridians this morning. First was “Budget Cuts End Florida Panther Tracking Program.” The other was “Records Don’t Support Florida Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp’s Reason for Using Plane.”
Charlie Crist’s running mate has been in hot water for months for using state planes the way most of us use our cars: for personal jaunts of every type, commuting to and from work, and lots of road trips, or in this case, air trips with his wife. One estimate of the tab so far is an amazing $700,000.
Kottkamp, a former state representative, defends the back and forths from his second home in the state capital, Tallahassee, to his first home in Fort Myers (about 400 miles one-way) by saying they, “help us stay in touch better with the people we represent.” But Kottkamp seems to forget that he represents all Floridians now, not just the ones back in his home district. And he can represent me just fine by staying in Tallahassee.
The lieutenant governor gives varying explanations for the most questionable trips, including one he and his wife took to St. Augustine, the nation’s oldest city and a popular tourist destination. Kottkamp claimed it had something to do with the Small Business Association but a newspaper investigation turned up nothing of the kind.
“I can tell you that not everything I do is on the calendar, that’s for certain,” Kottkamp told reporters when asked about that trip. “I think the issue there was a Small Business Administration event.”
But officials in the governor’s office said they have no record of an SBA event. And the day before the trip, Kottkamp’s scheduler distributed an internal e-mail listing his agenda for that weekend as all clear, marked as “personal days” in neighboring Ponte Vedra.
The same was true for Mr. and Mrs. Kottkamp’s weekend attending the annual college football rivalry game between Florida State and the University of Florida.
The Kottkamps tapped the FHP plane for the flight to Tallahassee. The couple were [sic] scheduled to attend a celebration at FSU President T.K. Wetherell’s home, then a “Gator Brew, Seminole Stew” at a UF trustee’s home before watching the game from the president’s box.
Kottkamp reimbursed FSU $192 for two tickets, food and beverages, a university spokeswoman said. Kottkamp’s staff also arranged for him to wave to the crowd from the field and do a pregame interview with Sun Sports, a statewide cable channel, according to e-mails. Kottkamp is chairman of the Florida Sports Foundation, which promotes sporting events in the state.
Kottkamp is not alone in his “nothing but the best” attitude toward travel he’s not paying for. His boss and his then-fiance spent a taxpayer financed summer in Europe last year, with an entourage that included the future Mrs. Crist’s sister, nine bodyguards, an official trip photographer, and numerous lawyers. The tab, including extensive minibar bills, was more than $430,000.
Republicans are always in favor of cutting programs that help lift people out of poverty, preserve the environment, or supply basic human needs like health care for children. But when it comes to bellying up to the public dole bar, they elbow everyone else out of the way to be front and center. We don’t believe them when they tell us they know best how to rein in spending.
