Gov. Charlie Crist used the taxpayer-funded state plane Wednesday for a four-city media blitz that promoted a pro-business initiative but ended with a Miami campaign fundraiser.
The ceremonial bill-signings that took him from Tallahassee to Orlando, Tampa, Fort Myers and finally, Miami, touted legislation signed eight days ago to temporarily delay an unemployment compensation tax increase.
After the last event at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Crist was slated to attend a fundraiser for his U.S. Senate campaign on Fisher Island. Asked at the chamber if it was appropriate to travel to a campaign event on the state plane, Crist said, "So long as I'm doing this before I do something else, yes ma'am."
The statement marked a reversal for the governor, who used to boast that he wouldn't fly the state plane to cities where he had both state business and campaign events. "I don't think the taxpayer ought to get me to South Florida (for a fundraiser)," Crist told a Herald/Times reporter in June when asked why he was flying commercial. "I'm trying to do the right thing."
Total cost to taxpayers for Wednesday's flyaround: About $3,100, according to flight data maintained by the Department of Management Services.
Thursday, Crist has another fundraiser in Tampa Bay, hours after his sole public event in Pinellas Park. This time, he's flying commercial.
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