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Florida Governor Stays at Luxe Hotels and Charges It To Taxpayers

Here's another reason to hate on U.S. Govenors this week: News reports say that Florida's Govenor Charlie Crist took a European vacation last summer with his fiancee, his fiancée's sister, four aides, two state agency heads, a spokesman, a photographer, nine bodyguards and dozens of Florida business executives, lobbyists and lawyers and charged it all to the public. Total bill: $430,000.

The 12-day trip included jaunts to London, Paris, Madrid and St. Petersburg, all in the name of drumming up trade for Florida. Uh-huh. Suuuure.

The bill included first-class airfare totaling $8,000; a $2,179 hotel suite at the Hilton London Metropole; a $1,385 suite at The Westin Paris; suites costing about $1,200 in Madrid and St. Petersburg; and room-service and minibar tabs that came to $1,300. The minibar in Crist's room in London was accessed 14 times in three days, costing $440.

Mini-bar whores! And these charges don't end here. Read this editorial for other charges paid for by Florida citizens. Of course, we're totally jealous of their trip and all but charging it back to your constituents is just tacky.

(Note to self: Date a govenor just for kicks.)