Grand jury will investigate Sansom - January 26, 2009 - A grand jury in Leon County has just decided it wants State Attorney Willie Meggs to investigate House Speaker Ray Sansom's dealings with a state college that hired him to a six-figure job.

Sansom to speak at prayer event - January 25, 2009 - The 33rd annual Governmental Prayer Breakfast begins at 9 a.m. Feb. 7 at New World Landing, 600 S. Palafox St., Pensacola.

For it's one, two, three Sansom scandals - January 25, 2009 - To keep track, let's divide the "things to investigate" list about House Speaker Ray Sansom into three categories:

Grand jury up next for House Speaker Sansom - January 25, 2009 - TALLAHASSEE — The political stakes are high this week as a newly empaneled grand jury decides whether to look into the powerful legislative leader's dealings with a Panhandle college.

Ray Sansom: The full interview (with VIDEO) - January 25, 2009 - State House Speaker and Destin resident Ray Sansom sits down with the Daily News editorial board to discuss the controversy that has surrounded his jobs

Embattled House Speaker Ray Sansom hires prominent attorney - January 24, 2009 - A prominent criminal defense attorney representing House Speaker Ray Sansom has contacted a federal and a state prosecutor.

Sansom ethics complaint takes baby step - January 24, 2009 - The State Commission on Ethics has determined an ethics complaint against House Speaker Ray Sansom is "legally sufficient," according to the Clearwater man who filed the grievance.

Sansom is way too modest - January 23, 2009 - In a letter that appeared in The Post last Friday, Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom tried to defend his decision to take a $110,000-a-year job at Northwest Florida State College after doing favors for the school in the state budget and helping with other legislation. The "defense" is more like a confession.

Speaker Speaks - January 23, 2009 - Florida’s Embattled Speaker of the House is finally speaking. For two months Speaker Ray Sansom dodged the media while a storm of ethics complaints and possible criminal charges began to brew. As Whitney Ray tells us, Sansom says he did nothing wrong and claims several ongoing investigations will clear his name.

.Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom quits college post - January 5, 2009 - TALLAHASSEE -- Under fire for accepting a job at a college into which he poured state money, House Speaker Ray Sansom unexpectedly announced Monday that he is quitting the post as vice president of Northwest Florida State College.

Sansom hires attorney Richard Coates to handle ethics complaint - December 30, 2008 - House Speaker Ray Sansom has hired a well-known Tallahassee lawyer to defend him against an ethics complaint filed in connection with him taking a $110,000 job at his local college.

House speaker's office regularly purges e-mails - December 30, 2008 - TALLAHASSEE - House Speaker Ray Sansom's office deletes e-mails about its business dealings every month, in part because lawmakers have fewer restrictions on preserving their records than most of state government.

State legislators weigh in on Sansom - December 30, 2008 - Three members of the Northwest Florida legislative delegation on Monday responded to questions about the controversy surrounding House Speaker Ray Sansom, a Destin Republican, who's also a member of the delegation.

School has a friend in Legislature - December 29, 2008 - E-mail shows close ties between House Speaker Ray Sansom and Northwest Florida State College, where Sansom landed a job.

Who Does Sansom Serve Anyway? - December 29, 2008 - Despite being elevated to one of the most powerful positions in state government (House Speaker) it's unclear who in the world Ray Sansom answers to. His self-serving deal to become Northwest Florida State College's VP of Development clearly means he doesn't really care about the people of Florida

E-mails: Ray Sansom eager to please college president who hired him - December 28, 2008 - More than a year before accepting a controversial job with his hometown college, House Speaker Ray Sansom was regularly taking direction from the man who later would become his boss.

Fla. House speaker sent e-mails in school funding - December 28, 2008 - TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom enthusiastically greeted requests for funds from his hometown college where he now works before steering money its way more than a year before he took the job, according to a review of his e-mails released Sunday.

House members stay quiet as public blasts speaker - December 27, 2008 - Did House Speaker Ray Sansom break the rules?

Speaking truth to power isn't the best strategy - December 25, 2008 - In the last hours of the last day of the last legislative session that Johnnie Byrd was speaker of the Florida House, some lobbyists ran out to a costume store and bought some sheep masks. They wore them in the Capitol rotunda — after they'd made sure their bills were safely in the Senate, or headed for the governor, and could not be scuttled in the House.

House speaker's college job not unique - December 22, 2008 - TALLAHASSEE — By taking a six-figure job at a state college, House Speaker Ray Sansom has focused attention on a pattern of behavior that has gone on largely unchecked for decades in Florida's higher education system.

Documents link House speaker, friend and college facility - December 21, 2008 - Although college officials dispute it, public records show that the airport facility Northwest Florida State College plans to build with tax money secured by House Speaker Ray Sansom is the same hangar Sansom's friend wanted for his jet business.

Richburg: Meeting with Sansom not 'private' - December 18, 2008 - NICEVILLE - A meeting of the Northwest Florida State College Board of Trustees with House Speaker Ray Sansom earlier this year was not meant to be kept "private," college President Dr. James "Bob" Richburg says.

Thurman wants feds to investigate Sansom - December 18, 2008 - Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman today sent a letter to the U.S. Attorney in Tallahassee requesting an investigation into Ray Sansom's dealings in a $6-million airport project that may have been designed to help a private developer.

GOP, state deserve better than Sansom - December 17, 2008 - The events of the past week have revealed Barack Obama to be a politician who remained silent while a political ally got entangled in sleazy Chicago scandals.

Sansom should resign as Florida House speaker - December 17, 2008 - THE ISSUE: Florida House speaker under a cloud of political taint.

Sansom: Funds to college were ‘transparent’ (with LINK) - December 15, 2008 - Speaker takes umbrage at Associated Press story that said he “has yet to respond to media questions” on funding

Sansom Questioned On Funding In New Job - December 15, 2008 - TALLAHASSEE | The Democratic leader in the Florida House on Monday called on Speaker Ray Sansom to explain how he got a new job at a college he steered funding to last year.

Sansom's credibility gone - December 14, 2008 - Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom, R-Destin, just doesn't know when it's time to quit.

Sansom's new job puts strain on GOP - December 14, 2008 - Say you're a Republican legislator getting ready for a brutal budget year that may require painful cuts to state programs and increased fees and/or taxes. How hard is it to talk about sacrifice and fiscal discipline when your own GOP House leader, Ray Sansom, has funneled millions of dollars to a community college that turned around and hired him for a $110,000 job?

Sansom's new job puts strain on GOP - December 14, 2008 - Say you're a Republican legislator getting ready for a brutal budget year that may require painful cuts to state programs and increased fees and/or taxes. How hard is it to talk about sacrifice and fiscal discipline when your own GOP House leader, Ray Sansom, has funneled millions of dollars to a community college that turned around and hired him for a $110,000 job?

Sansom had help with plan - December 14, 2008 - TALLAHASSEE — In the past two years, House Speaker Ray Sansom got $35-million in extra tax dollars for the college where he now works, an exceptional feat in tightening budget times.

Progress Florida launches SackSansom.com - December 12, 2008 - Progress Florida today launched www.SackSansom.com in response to overwhelming response from an online poll asking if newly elected State House Speaker Ray Sansom (R-Destin) should be held accountable for his "cash and carry" style of "leadership."

Rep. Ray Sansom Under Attack - December 12, 2008 - A new website pressuring Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom of Destin to resign is up and running. "Progress Florida" is behind the website www.SackSansom.com.

Self-inflicted wound for House speaker - December 11, 2008 - OUR OPINION: Sansom's actions bring discredit, undermine chance to lead

Florida House speaker keeps the dough, forfeits the authority - December 11, 2008 - Looks like the new speaker of the Florida House, Ray Sansom, is pretty dug in about keeping that $110,000-a-year community college job that he got the same day he became speaker.

Previous deals cloud new House speaker - December 10, 2008 - TALLAHASSEE — House Speaker Ray Sansom appointed key policy leaders for the 2009 Legislature on Tuesday, but the news remained in the shadow of a controversy that has been the talk of the Capitol for weeks.

Our views: No credibility - December 10, 2008 - Sansom’s poor judgment on pet projects, conflict of interest call for action

Fla. House speaker used office to seek job - December 8, 2008 - TALLAHASSEE — House Speaker Ray Sansom, R-Destin, sought a $110,000-a-year job at Northwest Florida State College by faxing in his application from his state office.

A frantic exchange to protect Sansom's $25M - December 8, 2008 - One of the first and most eye-catching revelations about House Speaker Ray Sansom's relationship with his new employer, Northwest Florida State College, was a stroke of budget wizardry that turned a $1-million appropriation this year into $25.5-million. The money is going to a new/renovated student services building that will include a bookstore and cafe.

House speaker sold political soul, and at a bargain price - December 7, 2008 - At first, the job that one of Florida's three most powerful politicians took at a state college just looked bad. Now, it looks awful.

It's time for Ray Sansom to leave the House — or be thrown out - December 7, 2008 - Enough of this pussyfooting around.

Florida House speaker gets college funds for friend's proposal - December 7, 2008 -TALLAHASSEE — As House Speaker Ray Sansom funneled millions in tax dollars to the college that now employs him, the list of school projects included an airport building first requested by a developer who has contributed heavily to Sansom's campaigns.

Sansom's $110,000 headache - December 4, 2008 - Bob Richburg, longtime president of Northwest Florida State College, and Ray Sansom, newly minted speaker of the Florida House, should have known the perils of making dramatic, potentially controversial decisions outside the public's view. Perhaps they forgot what happened four years ago.