The Republican Party of Florida's latest expense report includes some curious out-of-state expenses: $72.51 to an orange grove in El Paso, Texas and $1,954 for tuxedo rentals from a shop near Los Angeles.

Democratic party officials wondered if the oranges were the ones that Gov. Charlie Crist promised to Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell in a friendly wager when the Tampa Bay Rays played the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. The Rays lost.

After declining to comment to our sister blog on two expenditures questioned by the Florida Democratic Party, RPOF spokeswoman Erin Van Sickle later said the oranges did not come from Texas, nor did nearly $2,000 in tuxedo rentals come from California.

She writes: "Upon reviewing the expense report, we realized the oranges in question were bought right here in Florida. (in Lake Alfred, Polk County, to be exact.) Our data entry staffer inadvertently made a mistake when entering the address, resulting in an expense that appeared to be from Texas. We will be filing an amended report to reflect this revision.

"The tuxedo rentals that appeared to be rented in California were rented online for an event, but not in California -- that is just where PayPal is located, and PayPal processed the expense, just like it would if you or I purchased something online.

"We appreciate the Florida Democrat Party bringing the mistake to our attention. We hope they continue to focus on our blog, our website, our emails, and our reports. In the meantime, Republicans will focus on getting Florida's economy back on track and helping families and businesses."

--Beth Reinhard, Miami Herald