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The trial that promises to expose the inner workings and sometimes backroom dealings of the Florida State legislature began today. It centers on Former House Speaker Ray Sansom and his roll in trying to secure six million state dollars to benefit political contributors. As Whitney Ray tells us, the prosecution says the money would have built an airplane hanger, the defense says classrooms.

From the pinnacle of legislative power… to a defendant in a grand theft trial… the fall from grace for Former House Speaker Ray Sansom has been a long one. Sansom is in court for the way he tried to spend six million tax dollars while in power.

In 2007, Sansom funneled the money to Northwest Florida State College in Okaloosa County for construction…. but to construct what is still in question.

The six million dollars came from state education funds, and the defense says the money would have been used to build classrooms and to store emergency vehicles if a hurricane hit, but the prosecution says that’s just the cover story… and the secret purpose of the building was to house jets for a political contributor.

That contributor Jay Odom is on trial with Sansom. At the off-set of the case there were three co-defendants, but college president Bob Richburg struck a plea deal and will testify against Sansom and Odom.

In the opening statements Monday morning Leon County Prosecutor Willie Meggs told jurors they’d hear testimony proving the project was an airplane hanger.

“You’re going to see as this project developed and as it moved through the process, evidence of fraud and deception and false pretense and misappropriation,” said Meggs.

The defense says those plans were scrapped once the legislature was told the state had no money for special projects….

“You’ll see an email from Bob Richburg to Ray Sansom saying, ‘Jay understands he has to build his own FBO with his own money,” said Sansom.

Former Governor Charlie Crist is on the witness list. He’s expected to testify late in the week. Sansom’s time as speaker was short lived. He took the leadership roll in November of 2009 and resigned under pressure from his own party in February of 2010.