March 28, 2024

Congressional Travel

Politicians Still Cashing in on Free Trips

The rules have changed, but Florida's congressional delegation is still getting a free rides, paid for by private interests.

Amy Keller | 11/1/2009

African Interest

Rep. Robert Wexler
[Illustrations: Rob Zammarchi]
Rep. Allen Boyd (D-Monticello) and his wife, Cissy, took an 11-day trip to Nairobi, Kenya, and Zanzibar, Tanzania, during the summer of 2008 to “learn more about conservation and other important issues relating to east Africa, including collaborative efforts under way to combat HIV/AIDS as well as economic development, health, education and other pertinent issues,” according to his trip disclosure forms. During one leg of the trip, Boyd learned how the Laikipia Predator Project is tracking and collaring lions. He also traveled to Zanzibar to learn about the endemic red colobus monkey. He has taken $27,592 worth of trips since 2000.

Trip Cost: $15,607

Sponsor: International Conservation Caucus Foundation

Yulee Bonanza

Yulee, a town of about 8,400 on the outskirts of Jacksonville, has become an out-of-the-way hot spot for congressional travelers. The reason? Yulee is home to the White Oak Plantation, a 7,400-acre tract of land that the late Howard Gilman, a paper magnate and photography collector, saw as a “catalyst for the development and implementation of new ideas.”

Now owned by the Howard Gilman Foundation, the plantation features conference facilities that can accommodate gatherings of up to 100 people. According to its website, the facility has hosted Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Colin Powell. The plantation features guest lodges and cottages furnished with antiques and artwork from around the world. Also located on the property is the 600-acre White Oak Conservation Center, a wildlife breeding, research and training facility where uncommon species like the Grevy’s Zebra roam and where Florida panthers are rehabilitated before being released back in the wild.

Political animals, it seems, are drawn there as well. In June, 10 Democratic House staffers traveled to the White Oak Plantation to attend seminars on “developing policy and messaging for a clean energy future,” according to the staffers’ travel forms. Their trip was organized and paid for by the Howard Gilman Foundation and Third Way, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit think tank that calls itself the “moderate wing of the progressive movement.”

The White Oak Plantation defines its mission as serving as a “catalyst for the development and implementation of new ideas.”

White Oak Plantation
The White Oak Plantation defines its mission as serving as a “catalyst for the development and implementation of new ideas.” [Photo: Jacksonville Times Union]

Tags: Politics & Law, Government/Politics & Law

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