just another reason people are moving out of Florida - one of many

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http://www.miamiherald.com/news/top-stories/story/1232537.html


Florida taxpayers pick up tab for politicians who visit the Sunshine State

Florida provides security to politicians who visit the Sunshine State -- and taxpayers pick up the tab.


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The Florida Department of Law Enforcement spent almost $300,000 in the fiscal year ending June 30 to pay for salaries, transportation, lodging and other costs related to 96 appearances by U.S. senators, members of Congress, senior White House officials and 38 governors. Among the visitors were California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, New York Gov. David Paterson, the first lady of Puerto Rico, the premier of Ontario and former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

FDLE calls it part of a reciprocal agreement with other states to guarantee the safety of high-profile leaders, and the agency says Florida politicians receive the same level of security when they are on the road.

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So when the estranged wife of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford went to her parents' gated home in Hobe Sound in late June to escape her philandering husband, Florida taxpayers picked up the $623 cost of Jenny Sanford's security escort.

When Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri heads to his Stuart condo for some downtime, FDLE agents are waiting in their familiar dark-colored SUVs to guide him to and from the airport.

And when Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour spoke to a Florida road builders' association at The Grand at Sandestin Resort near Destin in May, he got an FDLE escort to and from the local airport, at a cost of $561.

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state law doesn't specify who is eligible.

South Carolina Gov. Sanford, a native of Fort Lauderdale, visited Florida four times in the past year, more than any other dignitary, for a total cost of about $6,300. Sanford faces mounting calls for his resignation for his extramarital affair with a woman in Argentina.

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Kempe said it is routine for the Rhode Island State Police to similarly offer security escorts to visiting political leaders.

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Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry received a security escort for a family friend's wedding last summer and a January visit to watch the Oklahoma Sooners lose to the Florida Gators in the BCS Championship Game in Miami, spokesman Paul Sund said. The security cost for Henry's two visits was $10,664, the priciest protection detail in the past year for an out-of-state politician.

Explaining why it would cost $10,000 to protect a governor at a football game and a wedding, FDLE's Smith said: ``When you provide protection in a public, highly populated venue, you have higher levels of security than is required in a restaurant, for example.''

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FDLE said it cost $1.34 million for agents to provide security for Gov. Charlie Crist in the past fiscal year. First lady Carole Crist's security expenses totaled $78,000, and it cost an additional $31,000 to protect the ``first family,'' which FDLE describes as Gov. and Mrs. Crist, or times when Mrs. Crist's two daughters are in Florida.
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