Odom had been trying to get the state to pay for an airplane hangar he would use for his private jet operation at Destin Airport. He and Richburg are also under indictment.

Kahn found probable cause that a private meeting of college trustees that Sansom helped arrange also eroded faith in the House. The meeting took place in March 2008 at a private club at Florida State University, where Sansom and Richburg discussed eventual legislation creating a new tier of state colleges.

The secretive nature and a failure to alter a direction that no signs be placed outside made ''evident their mutual intent to remove discussions from public view which were required to be in it,'' Kahn wrote.

PANEL TO REVIEW CASE

House Speaker Larry Cretul, the Ocala Republican who replaced Sansom in March, named a five-member panel that will examine the circumstances and recommend action, which could include removing Sansom from office.

Three panel members are Republicans and two are Democrats.

The chairman of the committee, Rep. Bill Galvano, a Bradenton Republican, is an obvious choice because he is chairman of the Rules and Calendar Council and is the arbiter on all procedural matters.

The other Republicans are both from Hillsborough County: Rep. Faye Culp, a retired teacher and former School Board member, and Rep. Rich Glorioso, a retired Air Force pilot.

The Democrats on the select committee are Ari Porth of Coral Springs, a prosecutor with the Broward State Attorney's Office, and Joe Gibbons of Hallandale Beach, a business development officer for the Akerman Senterfitt law firm. Gibbons also is the immediate past president of the Florida Conference of Black State Legislators.

The committee has subpoena power, but Galvano said he did not know whether Sansom could be compelled to testify before the select committee.

Alex Leary can be reached at leary@sptimes.com.

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