The college that hired House Speaker Ray Sansom into a $110,000 a year job never advertised the position and it was only offered to him.

"This is a part time appointment and it did not go through a public application process," Northwest Florida State College President Bob Richburg told the St. Petersburg Times today. "It is not required to do that for part-time jobs."

In July, when Sansom is expected to assume full-time duties, the job will shift to what Richburg called a "full-time temporary position." After 12 months, the college will have to advertise the opening or suspend its personnel practices and keep Sansom in place, he added.

Sansom, pictured, will earn about $25,000 more than the man who previously held the job, but his duties have been expanded, according to the college.

Richburg said he offered the job to Sansom only and that the deal was
struck on the same day last month that the Destin Republican was sworn in as House
Speaker. Richburg said brought the arrangement to the college board of
trustees, which met that evening.

The job was not on the agenda but
Richburg said it was fully discussed and then a news release was issued. He said he did not want to wait until the next board meeting, in part because Sansom will oversee the college Foundation.

Richburg called Sansom a "very effective legislator" who brought the
college millions in funding but denied the job was payback. “His
appointment to this college had nothing to do with securing these
projects. These projects were in the pipeline."