[3] In 2008, Sansom was one of the driving forces pushing to create an "oversight board for community colleges that emphasizes undergraduate education".

I'm honored and excited to be associated with an institution that's at the forefront of educating the workforce that will sustain the economy of northwest Florida well into the future.

"[11] However, it was this appointment and specifically, this area of his responsibility, that would subsequently raise questions and eventually create the controversy the resulted in Sansom's decision to resign.

[12] On January 6, 2009, at the urging of Republican leaders, Sansom resigned from his post as vice president of development at Northwest Florida State College amidst statewide criticism.

[14] On January 10, 2009, Rep. Sansom wrote an open letter, published in his district's newspaper, the Northwest Florida Daily News, to clarify his position.

[15] On January 30, under growing pressure from his fellow Republicans, Sansom announced that under a little-known House rule, he would temporarily "recuse" himself from his authority as Speaker.

[16][17] In April 2009, a grand jury indicted Speaker of the House Ray Samson, president of Northwest Florida State College Bob Richburg and businessman and political campaign contributor Jay Odom.

Attorneys for Sansom and his co-defendants in the criminal trial - former college President Bob Richburg and developer Jay Odom - wanted Meggs removed from the case for "prosecutorial misconduct".

The abrupt decision to abandon the case followed a statement by Circuit Judge Terry Lewis that he didn’t believe prosecutors had made any progress in their attempt to prove a conspiracy.