Is The Florida GOP Next For a Bailout?
If the current Chairman, Jim Greer, stays in charge, they may just need one:
TALLAHASSEE — Republican Party of Florida chairman Jim Greer charged personal expenses to the state party during a fundraiser this summer, adding fresh details to growing complaints that his money management was hurting the party.
Confronted with a $5,100 bill showing he used party money on spa treatments, seafood dinners and limousines during a party fundraiser at the Breakers Hotel, Greer said he would reimburse the party for some of the expenses Friday.
The hotel bill showed that Greer and his wife spent $3,600 on a dinner at the hotel’s Brasserie L’Escalier, $200 on spa services, $137 at the seafood bar and $80 on a limousine to the airport during a two-day fundraiser for incoming Florida Senate President Jeff Atwater.
Hey, it’s good to be the King when someone else is footing the bill, in this case, donors. I would love to know what Mr. & Mrs. Greer could have possibly ordered for dinner that cost $3,600!!
Greer, in his first term as State Chairman, is a personal friend of Florida Governor Charlie Crist, who handpicked Greer to become State Chairman, even creating an opening for Greer within the party infrastructure to be in a position to run for the top spot in 2006.
But wait, the story doesn’t end with just this $5,100 dollars of alleged inappropriate spending; there were recent accusations of an additional $682,000spent during the presidential election cycle on tickets for sporting events, chartered jets, clothes and trips to Disney World, but not so much spending on TV and radio ads that may have turned Florida around for McCain:
Republican Party of Florida chairman Jim Greer is being asked to answer to an audit of party books amid questions from top Republican leaders as well as rank and file members about spending on chartered jets, five-star hotels, sports tickets and even men’s clothing shops this election cycle.
New Port Richey Republican Joe Aloisio brought the dust-up into the open Thursday when he sent a letter to party members calling for an audit of party finances. He asked why the party bought tickets to sporting events such as Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankee games, trips to Disney World, and spent $682,000 on chartered planes when they could have been spending on TV and radio advertising for John McCain.
”Misappropriated money from the RPOF would have easily financed Spanish language and African-American media . . . and picked up the 3 percent we needed to win for John McCain,” he wrote.
With Crist behind Greer and still sticking by him, he will probably win reelection in January as Chairman of the Florida GOP.
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July 7th, 2010 at 5:09 am
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