President Obama has added two more fundraisers to his South Florida trip this week, including a $25,000-per-ticket lunch in Coral Gables. Obama will attend a fundraiser at NBA player Vince Carter's home Thursday night. The president will also speak at the University of Miami in an official capacity, the Orlando Sentinel reports:
President Barack Obama has tacked on two South Florida fundraisers to his planned visit on Thursday evening to Dallas Mavericks (and ex-Magic) star Vince Carter. The $30,000-a-pop dinner at Carter’s Isleworth mansion is expected to attract checks from — if not an actual appearance by– a number of NBA stars on the eve of the All-Star weekend.
Now The Miami Herald is reporting that Obama will be in South Florida earlier in the day for a "late" (1 p.m.) lunch at the posh Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables (for up to $25,000 a pop), followed by a straight-out fundraiser at the home of Miami attorney (and fundraiser extraordinaire) Chris Korge, with tickets "starting at $15,000." […]
Then he’ll apparently move over to the University of Miami to talk about "an economy built to last," according to the Herald. That’s enough to make it an "official" appearance — meaning taxpayers will foot the bill for Air Force One to fly to Miami.
Air Force One costs $181,757 per hour in taxpayer money to operate. The average air time for flights between Reagan National Airport and Miami International Airport is two hours and eight minutes; given the Air Force One costs, the flight will cost taxpayers approximately $360,000.