Spokesman: Sanford leaving SC over holiday weekend to spend time in Fla. repairing marriage

SC gov plans to spend weekend in Fla. with family

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A spokesman says South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford will head to Florida to spend the holiday weekend with his family.

Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer said the governor will leave Friday morning. He did not say where the governor will stay or how long he will be out of town. Sanford’s in-laws live in Florida.

Sawyer says Sanford is concentrating on repairing the damage he has done to his marriage and building back the trust of the people of South Carolina.

In a statement, Sanford also reiterated that he will not resign or leave the governor’s office temporarily.

In an interview with The Associated Press this week, Sanford said a woman he visited last month in Argentina is his soul mate, but he is trying to fall back in love with his wife.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina’s top cop says Gov. Mark Sanford did not improperly use state funds for visits with his Argentine mistress.

State Law Enforcement Division Chief Reggie Lloyd said Thursday that Sanford did not break any laws. The governor’s spokesman says he does not intend to resign.

South Carolina’s attorney general asked police to investigate the governor’s travel after Sanford revealed to The Associated Press he had spent time with Maria Belen Chapur more often than previously disclosed.

Sanford has given two personal checks totaling $3,300 to the state treasurer as reimbursement for part of a taxpayer-funded trip to South America last year. He says the money covered lodging, meals and airfare to Buenos Aires, where he saw Chapur.

Top South Carolina Republicans have called for Sanford to step down.