Report says former University of Florida president Ben Sasse spent $1.3 million on social events

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Former University of Florida president Ben Sasse spent over $1.3 million on private catering for lavish dinners, football tailgates and extravagant social functions in his first year on the job, according to a report from a student news service.

The amount was about double the spending of his predecessor, Kent Fuchs, who was brought back to head the university on a temporary basis after Sasse announced in July that he was resigning, according to the report from Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.

Sasse, a former U.S. senator from Nebraska, cited his wife’s health and the need to spend time with family as his reason for leaving the job. He intends to teach classes as a professor at the university.

The report by Fresh Take Florida comes weeks after The Independent Florida Alligator reported that as school president, Sasse gave six former staffers and two former Republican officials jobs with salaries that outstripped comparable positions. Most did not move to Gainesville, Florida, where the flagship university is located, but worked remotely from hundreds of miles away.

Overall, Sasse’s office spent $17.3 million during his first year compared with the $5.6 million spent by Fuchs in his final year. The university has an overall budget of $9 billion, the Alligator reported.

A spokeswoman for Sasse said in an email on Friday that she wasn’t authorized to speak on his behalf about the matter.

Last December, Sasse hosted a $176,800 holiday party for about 200 guests who dined on fresh sushi that two dedicated chefs hand-rolled alongside traditional dishes of beef, chicken and sweet desserts, Fresh Take Florida said, citing itemized catering expenses obtained under Florida’s public records law.

The bill for the liquor was listed as more than $7,000.

The news service said it wasn’t clear whether the university covered the costs for all the items on Sasse’s catering tabs using taxpayer dollars or donor contributions.