Gov. Rick Scott accepted bids totaling almost $3.7 million Friday for the state’s two aircraft, fulfilling a campaign pledge that leaves him paying out of his own pocket for air travel, while other state officials rely on commercial flights or car travel. But Scott’s reputation as a shrewd corporate trader may have taken a beating.
The state’s 2003 Cessna Citation Bravo, an eight-seat jet, drew a $1.9 million bid from a Mexican-American oilfield services firm – a sharp drop from the aircraft’s $5.3 million purchase price.
The 11-year-old King Air fetched $1.77 million from JNS Aircraft Sales, a Washington, D.C., company. The nine-seat King Air was valued by state analysts at $3.6 million in 2008.
State officials said the recession has diminished the resale value of many aircraft.
Scott, though, praised the deal, saying it will net the state more than $560,000 in savings this year, while also eliminating annual operating and leasing costs of $2.4 million.
“Burdening taxpayers with these ongoing expenses is irresponsible and not a core function for government to meet the state’s critical needs,” Scott said.
The governor ordered both aircraft put up for sale last month – the day he was sworn-in. He also laid-off the 11 employees of the state’s airpool.
Scott has been flying as a passenger in his own seven-seat, Raytheon 400A twin-engine jet to events around the state, paying fuel and maintenance costs himself.
Cabinet members, House and Senate leaders, and agency officials have been making their own travel plans.
The state aircraft have proved a volatile political issue for years. Former Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, ex-Attorney General Bill McCollum, and former Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink all were accused of using the aircraft for personal or political trips, but were cleared of ethics complaints. Kottkamp is known to have reimbursed the state for some family trips.
Last year, Scott deployed the airpool as a political weapon, ridiculing its use by McCollum, his Republican primary rival, and later, Sink, his Democratic opponent, during the governor’s race.
The News Service of Florida
