Alexander said he understands the need for state officials to travel but doesn't want taxpayers to foot the bill unfairly: ``It's just when every weekend they've got a meeting in their hometown, I don't feel good about that. They ran for a full-time job in Tallahassee. They should be there.''

MORE FINDINGS

A Herald/Times review of Sink and McCollum's state plane use found the following:

• Between January 2007 and June 22, 2009, Sink's office spent $413,334 for state air travel -- the second lowest amount of any Cabinet official -- while McCollum spent the least: $280,189.

• Since Sink announced her campaign for governor on May 13, she has spent $11,400 in state plane travel. Since McCollum's announcement on May 18, he has spent several personal days campaigning but has not used a state plane.

• Since taking office, McCollum has spent $59,597 flying empty planes to pick him up or drop him off. Sink spent $34,598 on flying empty planes to get her.

• Both Sink and McCollum have used state planes for short hops. For example, McCollum took a 12-minute flight from Fernandina Beach to Jacksonville on May 22, 2008. Sink flew from West Palm Beach to Boca Raton -- a 15-minute flight -- on Jan. 24, 2008. Each said their tight schedules and traffic concerns required them to use a state plane for the short routes.

Sink owns a home in Tallahassee but the residence on which she claims a homestead exemption is in Thonotosassa, outside of Tampa. Her husband, Bill McBride -- along with daughter, Lexie, and son, Bert -- have traveled with her on state planes.

REIMBURSEMENT

State records show Bill McBride flew on a state plane four times in 2007, and Sink wrote her agency a check for $1,184.16 on Jan. 24, 2008. Since then, Sink said she has reimbursed her agency for all other family travel. Bill McBride has flown on state planes a total of 11 times since January 2007, while Bert McBride has flown three times and Lexie McBride just once, records show.

To calculate reimbursement rates, the state divides the cost of the flight by the number of individuals flying.

Sink aides also noted that Sink has taken 176 commercial flights for official business since coming into office.

McCollum rents an apartment in Tallahassee, but his permanent home remains in Longwood, an Orlando suburb, where his wife Ingrid also lives. McCollum has never used a state plane for family travel, according to state records.

''I am often at home. I do go back,'' McCollum said, from Tallahassee.

`NOT EASY TO DO'

He acknowledged that he could drive back to Tallahassee to start his trips, ``but that's not easy to do. . . . I have never, to my knowledge, taken the plane anywhere except on official business, and I have never spent time doing anything on that plane to run up costs.''

McCollum, who has 12 regional offices around the state, noted that he often travels on state business alone or with a single aide. Sink frequently travels with several aides. The number of passengers does not change the cost of the flight.

As Cabinet members, Sink and McCollum's travel is largely unregulated. They are considered ''priority one'' fliers, in the same category as the governor and lieutenant governor, among others.

That means their requests to use a state plane are answered first, before others who are not in leadership positions, said Cathy Schroeder, spokeswoman for the Department of Management Services.

Mary Ellen Klas can be reached at meklas@MiamiHerald.com

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