Charges Dropped Against Former Fla. House Speaker

TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) - Prosecutors in Tallahassee have dropped corruption charges against former Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom after the judge rejected a key prosecution witness.

Circuit Judge Terry Lewis ruled that prosecutors had not shown enough evidence that a conspiracy existed. The ruling was in response to a prosecution request to bring in testimony by Bob Richburg.

Richburg is a former college president who had also been charged in the case before agreeing to testify against Sansom. Prosecutors said without Richburg's testimony, they couldn't continue the case.

Sansom had been charged with scheming to get a $6 million state budget appropriation in 2007 to build a hangar at the Destin airport for businessman Jay Odom. Charges were also dropped against Odom.

Defense attorneys said the money was for a much-needed and hurricane-proof emergency operations center for the city of Destin.

The project was given the money in 2007, but it was never built and the money was returned to the state.

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