Former House speaker wants state to pay his legal fees

Attorneys for former Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom are arguing that taxpayers should pay his legal fees of nearly $1 million from corruption charges dating from 2009.

Lawyers for the Destin Republican argued in a trial Thursday that because the charges stemmed from his work as a legislator and were dismissed, Samson is entitled to have the public pay. Lawyers for the state argued that Sansom tacitly agreed for a wealthy co-defendant to pay $206,000 in restitution in return for dismissal of the charges.

One of those lawyers testified Thursday that next House speaker, Dean Cannon, promised to have the fees paid but then broke the promise. Cannon declined to comment.

Sansom was accused of seeking $6 million in state money for an airplane hangar to benefit his co-defendant.

Republished with permission of the Associated Press.