Thursday, Jul. 02, 2009

Sanford heading to Florida for the Fourth

Gov. Mark Sanford will spend the long Fourth of July holiday weekend with his wife, Jenny, and their family in Florida, his office said today.

Sanford will leave for Florida on Friday morning.

The governor's spokesman, Joel Sawyer, asked in a released statement that the public and press respect the Sanford's privacy during their visit together.

Jenny Sanford and the couple's four sons are spending time with her parents in Loblolly Bay, a gated community in Hobe Sound.

The announcement came as the Sanford administration was set hear the results of a SLED investigation into spending by the governor, related to his affair with an Argentine woman, Maria Belen Chapur.

Other than $3,300 in state money that he has refunded for a South American trip in 2008, Sanford has insisted he used no taxpayer money to pay for his affair.

SLED chief Reggie Lloyd is holding a press conference at 2 p.m. to announce the results of his agency's inquiry.

Those findings will be posted on thestate.com as soon as possible.

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