Peter Schorsch
Gov. Rick Scott’s net worth soared to nearly $232.6 million as of the end of 2017, up more than $83 million from a year earlier, according to a financial-disclosure report filed Friday with the state Commission on Ethics.
Click here to view the state financial disclosure.
Scott, who made a fortune in the health-care industry and other businesses before entering politics, has put his investments in a blind trust while serving as Governor. As a result, the new financial-disclosure report did not detail the reasons that his net worth increased substantially in 2017. But the report showed the value of the blind trust at $215 million as of the end of 2017, up from $130.5 million at the end of 2016.
Overall, Scott reported a net worth of about $149.3 million as of Dec. 31, 2016.
The new disclosure listed a home in Naples valued at slightly less than $14.1 million as of the end of 2017, down nearly $1 million from the previous year.
Scott, who is running for the U.S. Senate this year, also listed a $1.5 million residence in Montana, with the value unchanged. Scott’s campaign issued a news release Friday evening that said he will file a federal disclosure report next month that is required for Senate candidates. The campaign said that report will make available additional details about Scott’s investments.
Scott’s campaign also got in a jab directed at U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.
“Nelson has taken $4.4 million in taxpayer dollars and given himself 12 pay raises during his nearly half century as a career politician,” read the release from the campaign. “He has also never declined his salary, even as Floridians were personally impacted by Congress failing to pass a budget 12 times, including six government shut downs, during his time in office.”
State officials are required to file financial-disclosure forms by July 1 of each year, though they receive a grace period until Sept. 1. The reports typically reflect finances in the previous calendar year.
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Material from the News Service of Florida was used in this post.
