Governor spends big on North Georgia land

The political supporter, Aaron McWhorter, president of the Turfgrass Group, contributed about $5,600 to Perdue's 2006 re-election campaign, according to campaign finance records.

Perdue lists himself as half owner in the property through another limited corporation that was created about a week before the property was purchased. McWhorter's LLC was created on the same day.

A spokesman for Perdue could not provide any details and the governor was unavailable for comment.

The property includes a home on land labeled "conservation."

Perdue's financial disclosure report shows he or his companies currently own a dozen pieces of property. They have taxable values of more than $5 million.

During his 2006 re-election campaign, Perdue drew criticism when the Atlanta Journal-Constitution disclosed that he paid politically connected developer Stan Thomas $2 million for land near Disney World.

That purchase led to calls for an investigation after it was revealed that lawmakers passed a special tax break that helped Perdue defer taxes on the sale of land he used to pay for the Florida property.

That same year, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Perdue did not include his interest in a family land partnership in financial disclosures while he served as a state senator from Houston County. He listed the information only after he became governor in 2003, according to state reports.

Then in 2007,  Perdue spent $550,000 on a vacation home and property  on Lake Jackson but failed to disclose it the next July as required by law. His staff called it an oversight, and the disclosure form was later corrected.