UF staff spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in travel after Sasse OK'd remote work
The University of Florida spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on travel for highly paid Republican hires of then-President Ben Sasse, who permitted them to work from home in other states while commuting periodically to the school’s campus, according to newly released records.
The new figures add to mounting questions about unusually high expenditures of public money by the university president’s office until Sasse’s unexpected resignation last month. More than half the $211,824 itemized expenses attributed to six of his senior UF hires working remotely over 17 months was for airfare or train tickets, plus nearly $50,000 more for hotels.
The costs included all their work-related travel, not just back and forth to UF from their home states — including Nebraska, Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. The university finally turned over more than 1,500 itemized expense entries for these employees in response to requests filed July 30 under Florida’s public records law.
More than half the travel expenses specified that they covered campus visits. Others did not always indicate any destination, citing costs for “trip” with no other detail about locations.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2024/08/30/uf-staff-spent-hundreds-thousands-dollars-travel-after-sasse-okd-remote-work/
Doubt there were many coach flights taken.
= new reply since forum marked as read
As someone who genuinely needs to work remote, WITHOUT expensive travel involved (not ever, if I have my way), I don't like this obvious corruption adding to the anti-remote narrative.
There are times when remote work makes sense. In the case of the Ben Sasse hires, it was clearly a grift. Headline should read:
UF staff spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in travel after Sasse OK'd grift
(I know it is not your headline, Zorro 
)