Forty-nine state lawmakers are millionaires (nearly one of every three), according to state financial disclosure records. In the Senate, 16 legislators are worth at least $1 million, with Senate President Don Gaetz the wealthiest, with a net worth of more than $26 million. In the House, 33 lawmakers are worth at least $1 million; the richest is Rep. José Oliva (R-Miami Lakes), whose wealth stems from his family’s cigar business. Following is a list of the Legislature’s 49 millionaires, with a look at the holdings of the 10 richest. Figures are for 2012, except where noted:
 Sen. Don Gaetz |
1. Sen. Don Gaetz
(R-Niceville)
$26,219,471 
+5.4% from 2011
Gaetz’s fortune stems from Vitas Healthcare, the Miami-based for-profit hospice company he and his partners co-founded in 1983 with $1,800 and sold in 2004 for $410 million. He has an array of investments, including more than $6.5 million in stocks and non-marketable securities, $8.4 million in cash (or cash equivalents such as CDs and money market funds) and another $10.4 million in real estate, including seven homes, several undeveloped lots and partial ownership of a Pensacola office building. Gaetz lists an annual income of $627,985 — $248,440 of that from Treveron, a property investment and management services company.
 Sen. Wilton Simpson |
2. Sen. Wilton Simpson
(R-Trilby)
$15,562,617 +27.0% from 2011
The freshman senator derives most of his wealth from two businesses — an egg farm in Pasco County and Simpson Environmental Services, a contractor specializing in hazardous waste removal. With 1 million chickens, Simpson Farms supplies eggs to supermarkets across the state and is valued at nearly $8.8 million. Other major holdings include a home and property in Pasco County valued at $440,497; a home in Homosassa worth $197,248; and more than $1.3 million worth of stock in Florida Traditions Bank, a community bank in east Pasco County that he co-founded in 2007.
 Sen. Jeremy Ring |
3. Sen. Jeremy Ring
(D-Margate)
$14,117,769 
-6.4% from 2011
Ring got in on the ground floor of the dot-com boom in 1992 when he was hired as the first sales executive for Yahoo. He started the company’s East Coast office out of his apartment in 1996 and was senior sales director for the search engine until 2001, when he and his wife relocated from New York to Florida. Today, he has a residence in Parkland worth moreo than $1.5 million and about $11.7 million in stocks and other marketable securities. Other investments include $228,037 in Mercurian, an upstart internet company; a $24,272 investment in Convizion, a Miami-based investment holding company; and a $300,000 investment in CT Capital in Fort Lauderdale.
 Sen. Jeff Brandes |
4. Sen. Jeff Brandes
(R-St. Petersburg)
$12,198,673 +17.8% from 2011
Brandes, 37, owes his riches to his family’s lumber fortune. He is the grandson of Linton Tibbetts, who owned Cox Lumber in St. Petersburg until he sold it to a subsidiary of Home Depot in 2006. Following the sale of Cox in 2006, he took over the responsibility of managing his family’s real estate portfolio. His financial holdings include more than $2.5 million in several brokerage accounts; nearly $7.5 million in an array of business investments; and more than $1.7 million worth of real estate, including his $850,000 home in St. Petersburg and a $310,000 home in Tallahassee.
 Rep. José Oliva |
5. Rep. José Oliva*
(R-Miami Lakes)
$9,677,988 Not available
Oliva is CEO of Oliva Cigar, his family’s business. His 25% holding in the company is valued at $10 million. Other large assets include more than $2 million in real estate investments, including $800,000 worth of property in Georgia.
 Sen. David Simmons |
6. Sen. David Simmons
(R-Altamonte Springs)
$9,114,189 +19.1% from 2011
Simmons, 61, is an attorney and financial managing partner of de Beaubien, Knight, Simmons, Mantzaris & Neal, one of central Florida’s largest law firms. Simmons lists a 22.5% partnership interest in the firm, valued at more than $1.2 million. Other assets include a Morgan Stanley Dean Witter account worth $909,308; a 401(k) worth more than $555,000; and his $2.4 million lakefront home in Maitland. Simmons also owns a personal residence in Tallahassee worth $421,245, a third personal residence in Altamonte Springs worth $800,000 and several Orlando-area rental properties. He reported receiving more than $1.5 million in income and partnership interest from his law firm in 2011.
 Sen. Eleanor Sobel |
7. Sen. Eleanor Sobel (D-Hollywood)
$8,763,945 + 6.7% from 2011
Sobel, 67, is married to Hollywood dermatologist Stuart Sobel and reportedly derives much of her wealth from her husband’s medical practice and a side business, Emrelle Skin Care Products, which she started with her husband. The majority of her wealth is in property and mutual funds. Her real estate holdings include a $2.5 million condo in Manhattan. She also lists an office condo valued at $650,000 and her Hollywood residence, which is worth $420,000. She lists mutual fund holdings worth more than $4 million.
 Rep. Patrick Rooney Jr. |
8. Rep. Patrick Rooney Jr.
(R-West Palm Beach)
$7,928,000 +174.6% from 2011
Rooney’s wealth stems from his family, who are majority owners and operators of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rooney’s grandfather, Arthur J. Rooney, paid the NFL a franchise fee of $2,500 to bring the Pittsburgh Pirates (as they were then known) into the league, and the Rooney family has retained a controlling interest since. The family later got into the gambling business with investments in a New York horse racing track and a dog racing track (the Palm Beach Kennel Club) in West Palm Beach. The bulk of Rooney’s wealth is derived from interest in various trusts, including 100% interest (worth more than $3.74 million) in the Patrick J. Rooney Jr. 2011 Irrevocable Trust, which owns cash and 500 voting and 2,020 non-voting shares of Yonkers Racing Corp. He also listed 14.3% interest (worth more than $1.5 million) in the Patrick Rooney Sr. 2011 Delaware Trust, which owns cash, marketable securities and 9,175 voting and 9,175 non-voting shares of Rooney Enterprises, which owns the common stock of Pittsburgh Steelers Sports.
 Rep. Irving Slosberg |
9. Rep. Irving Slosberg (D-Boca Raton)
$6,986,792 +3.4% from 2011
Slosberg became wealthy importing handbags. He reports a $4.2-million holding in his Pompano Beach import company, Mediterranean Trading. Other major holdings include his $800,000 house in Boca Raton and various brokerage accounts valued at $760,587.
 Rep. Bill Hager |
10. Rep. Bill Hager
(R-Delray Beach)
$6,737,000 +12.3% from 2011
Hager — a former insurance commissioner for Iowa and former president and CEO of NCCI, the nation’s largest workers’ compensation and health care informatics company — earned close to $550,000 from his reinsurance arbitration business last year. Hager, who was recently divorced, reported a 50% ownership in his Boca Raton residence, valued at $1.4 million. Other large assets include 50% of several IRAs, valued at $4.55 million, and 50% of several investment accounts containing a total of $4.95 million.
11 through 49
11. Sen. Charles Dean (R-Inverness)
$6,714,000 +40.6 from 2011
Retired sheriff, cattleman and consultant
12. Rep. Travis Hutson* (R-Elkton)
$6,689,629 Not available
Real estate agent
13. Sen. John Thrasher (R-St. Augustine)
$6,355,515 -3.5% from 2011
Lawyer
14. Sen. Jack Latvala (R-Clearwater)
$6,214,406 +9.4% from 2011
CEO, GCI Printing Services
15. Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-Panama City)
$5,667,203 -6.3% from 2011
Restaurateur, Captain Anderson’s Waterfront Market in Panama City
16. Rep. Kenneth Roberson (R-Port Charlotte)
$5,556,690 +2.4% from 2011
Funeral home owner
17. Sen. Gwen Margolis (D-Miami)
$5,388,175 +2.5% from 2011
Real estate broker/investor
18. Rep. John Wood (R-Winter Haven)
$4,714,201 +4.0% from 2011
Attorney, Realtor, CEO of John Wood Enterprises
19. Rep. Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples)
$4,459,257 +9.8% from 2011
Attorney
20. Sen. Garrett Richter (R-Naples)
$4,326,158 -5.2% from 2011
President, First National Bank of the Gulf Coast
21. Rep. Jim Boyd (R-Bradenton)
$4,057,000 +25.3% from 2011
Owner, Boyd Insurance & Investment Services; president and partner, Boyd Group, a commercial real estate and investment firm
22. Rep. Dennis Baxley (R-Ocala)
$4,050,248 -26.4% from 2011
Funeral home owner and consultant
23. Rep. Tom Goodson (R-Titusville)
$3,945,703 +2.3% from 2011
Road contractor
24. Rep. Michael Bileca* (R-Miami)
$3,855,584 Not available
Dental consultant
25. Rep. (Lance) David Richardson (D-Miami Beach)
$3,097,801 -10.6% from 2011
CPA/consultant
26. Rep. W. Keith Perry (R-Gainesville)
$3,051,834 +24.1% from 2011
Contractor
27. Rep. Doug Broxson (R-Midway)
$3,003,733 +.03% from 2011
Insurance agent
28. Rep. Doug Holder (R-Sarasota)
$2,973,986 -2.8% from 2011
Businessman with a 40% interest in an Aaron’s franchise and a truck stop electrification company
29. Sen. Tom Lee (R-Brandon)
$2,813,655 -11.2% from 2011
Vice president and director, Sabal Homes of Florida
30. Rep. Bryan Nelson (R-Apopka)
$2,500,000 -4.8% from 2011
Insurance agent
31. Rep. Larry Lee Jr. (D-Port St. Lucie)
$2,345,845 -7.9% from 2011
Insurance agent
32. Rep. Dan Raulerson (R-Plant City)
$2,310,000 +85.5% from 2011
Certified public accountant
33. Sen. Bill Montford (D-Tallahassee)
$2,202,106 +15.4% from 2011
CEO, Florida Association of District School Superintendents
34. Rep. Steve Precourt (R-Orlando)
$2,178,500 +3.6% from 2011
Business owner and engineer
35. Rep. MaryLynn Magar (R-Tequesta)
$2,038,346 +8.1% from 2011
Vice president, HeartCare Imaging
36. Rep. Dana Young (R-Tampa)
$2,024,574 +123.8% from 2011
Attorney
37. Rep. Elaine Schwartz (D-Hollywood)
$1,973,439 +8.3% from 2011
Attorney
38. Rep. Lori Berman (D-Delray Beach)
$1,962,605 -2.7% from 2011
Attorney
39. Rep. Richard Stark (D-Weston)
$1,890,125 +3.4% from 2011
Financial services
40. Rep. Jim Waldman (D-Coconut Creek)
$1,782,124 +61.1% from 2011
Attorney/general counsel, Keiser University
41. Rep. Kevin Rader (D -Delray Beach)
$1,773,261 +94.0% from 2011
Insurance agent/business owner
42. Sen. Bill Galvano* (R-Bradenton)
$1,496,897 Not available
Attorney
43. Rep. Ronald “Doc” Renuart (R-Ponte Vedra Beach)
$1,474,211 +23.4% from 2011
Physician
44. Rep. Clovis Watson Jr. (D-Alachua)
$1,469,000 +16.6% from 2011
Retired city manager
45. Rep. Gayle Harrell (R-Stuart)
$1,378,608 +4.5% from 2011
Health information technology consultant
46. Sen. Rob Bradley (R-Fleming Island)
$1,358,794 -4.2% from 2011
Attorney
47. Sen. Greg Evers (R-Crestview)
$1,086,400 +33.1% from 2011
Farmer/businessman
48. Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda (D-Tallahassee)
$1,020,992 +14.9% from 2011
Attorney/college professor
49. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fort Walton Beach)
$1,014,928 +5.2% from 2011
Attorney
* Financial information is for calendar year 2011 because the lawmaker had not filed a 2012 financial disclosure statement by press time. An updated list will be posted here once those statements are filed.