IRS sues former Fla. gov. for back taxes

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., March 19 (UPI) -- The U.S. Internal Revenue Service is suing former Florida Republican Gov. Claude Kirk Jr. for overdue taxes.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in West Palm Beach, Fla., alleges Kirk put his house in his wife's name to avoid paying $318,498 in back taxes, the Palm Beach Post said.

Kirk, 81, denies the allegations.

The newspaper said Kirk's tax problems go back to at least 1977 and came to light more than a decade ago when it was revealed he owed $1.3 million in penalties and interest.

Kirk, who was elected governor in 1967, told The Miami Herald in 1979, "If I'm not broke, I'm a millionaire. It's one or the other. It depends on the day. It depends on the hour."