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Letter to the editor

Area lawmakers dip into free trip pool

Dozens of times, local members of Congress have taken advantage of rules allowing private groups to pay for their travel.

By BILL ADAIR
Published May 6, 2005

WASHINGTON - Lawmakers from west-central Florida have taken free trips to Israel, New York and the posh Greenbrier resort in West Virginia.

The local representatives haven't done as much globetrotting as some colleagues in the past five years - several members of Congress have taken more than 50 trips each - but area lawmakers have benefited from rules allowing private groups to pay for airfare and hotel bills.

Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Crystal River, accepted a $1,867 trip to Palm Beach in 2003 to a conference of the Community Financial Services Association, a group of companies that provides payday loans.

Brown-Waite also took an $810 trip to speak to a bakers association meeting in Fort Lauderdale - she talked about her experiences as the former owner of a Mr. Donut franchise - and she and her husband accepted a $10,204 trip to Israel paid for by the American Israel Education Foundation, which is affiliated with a pro-Israel group known as AIPAC.

That trip was helpful, she said. "Being there makes you realize the precarious geography and precarious position that Israel is in," she said.

Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Bartow, took a $1,019 trip to speak to a farm financial group in Cincinnati, a $260 trip to speak at Harvard University and a $1,202 trip to the Greenbrier for a bipartisan congressional retreat paid for by the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan group that holds seminars and conferences for public officials.

Putnam said the trips were worthwhile, particularly the bipartisan retreat. "I found it to be very productive," he said.

Rep. Jim Davis, D-Tampa, has taken seven trips since 2000 worth $28,000. In 2003, he went to Seattle to see the Starbucks and Microsoft headquarters - a trip paid for by Microsoft. Three of the trips to other countries, including Cuba and the Middle East, were considered fact-finding trips to tour cities and meet public officials.

"It's important to travel and meet heads of state," Davis said. He said he introduced bills as a result of his trips.

Sen. Bill Nelson has reported 28 trips since 2000, according to the Political Money Line Web site, but most were for political events that do not need to be reported in Senate filings. Spokesman Dan McLaughlin said Nelson reported them anyway, in the interest of full disclosure.

Nelson's nonpolitical travel includes a $517 trip to speak to the Futures Industry Association in Boca Raton, three trips to attend the Renaissance Weekend, a gathering of business and civic leaders, and a $3,072 trip to speak at the Greenbrier paid for by CSX, the Jacksonville-based railroad.

Nelson, a Democrat, also took a $400 trip to speak to the Everglades Coalition and a $900 trip to speak at a Jacksonville groundbreaking ceremony for Embraer, an aircraft manufacturer.

"A fair and accurate assessment of those disclosures shows that he avoids accepting travel from private sources where there could be any appearance of impropriety," McLaughlin said.

Sen. Mel Martinez has not taken any privately funded travel since he took office in January.

Rep. C.W. Bill Young, R-Indian Shores, has taken one privately funded trip since 2000, to a New York event for the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation where he received an award. The trip for Young and his wife, Beverly, cost $287.

Young gets many invitations but said he has little interest in the congressional junkets.

"A lot of those trips seem to be golfing outings," he said, "and I don't golf."

Times staff writer Anita Kumar contributed to this report

[Last modified May 6, 2005, 00:39:12]