CD 7 race features millionaire candidates, John Mica and Stephanie Murphy

Stephanie Murphy and John Mica

Republican U.S. Rep. John Mica and his Democratic opponent, Stephanie Murphy, in Florida’s 7th Congressional District are the two wealthiest congressional candidates in Central Florida this year, each with net worths topping $1 million.

Mica’s net worth ranges between $3 million and $9 million, most of it tied up in real estate, according to his latest personal financial disclosures filed for this year.

Thanks to various trust funds held by her husband, Sean Murphy, which she lists, Stephanie Murphy is not far behind. Her personal financial disclosure, filed this week — later than it should have been, according to federal rules — shows their combined net worth ranging between $2.4 and $4.8 million.

Among five congressional races in Central Florida, — Congressional Districts 6, based in Volusia County; 7 in Seminole and northern Orange counties; 8 in Indian River, Brevard and east Orange counties; 9 in Osceola County, eastern Polk County and southern Orange; and 10 in west Orange — the contest between Mica and Murphy is the only one featuring two millionaires, according to disclosures.

[Democratic nominee Bill McCullough in Florida’s 6th Congressional District has not filed his statement yet. He has sought two time extensions but both have expired. He said it was an oversight involving a contractor, and the disclosure would be filed yet this week.]

Mica’s disclosures have changed little over the years, and he has been one of Florida’s wealthiest six or seven members of Congress for a long time. He lists six-figure cash savings in two banks, almost no stock, condominium units in Cocoa Beach and Washington D.C., a home in Winter Park, and several rental properties, all apparently fully paid off. He lists no liabilities.

His income includes his congressional salary of $174,000 plus rental payments that range somewhere from $42,000-$130,000 a year.

Murphy’s financial disclosure is far more complex, thanks largely to the inclusion of her husband’s holdings and incomes. There are a few stocks in which she has less than $15,000 interest, including in the Bridgelight Group limited partnership, the Crushtank limited partnership, and SiriusXM; plus her husband’s interests in various family trusts, most notably the Edward E. Haddock Jr. Sons Trust, where most of their money is held. The Murphy’s have a home mortgage of less than $500,000, which she lists as their key liability. She also lists student loans and credit card debts.

Incomes she lists include a $170,000 salary from Sungate Capital; $46,000 from Rollins College; $6,900 from Bridgelight Group; and her husband’s $109,000 salary from 3N2 LLC. It also includes dividends and other incomes from his financial interests, which last year tallied somewhere between $472,000 and $1.4 million.

 

Scott Powers

Scott Powers is an Orlando-based political journalist with 30+ years’ experience, mostly at newspapers such as the Orlando Sentinel and the Columbus Dispatch. He covers local, state and federal politics and space news across much of Central Florida. His career earned numerous journalism awards for stories ranging from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster to presidential elections to misplaced nuclear waste. He and his wife Connie have three grown children. Besides them, he’s into mystery and suspense books and movies, rock, blues, basketball, baseball, writing unpublished novels, and being amused. Email him at [email protected].


3 comments

  • Joel

    September 15, 2016 at 7:43 pm

    This is just what we need in Congress a candidate like Murphy who can’t comply with the financial disclosure law and filing date has a huge income and trusts and runs for office without paying off her federal student loan Unbelievable!

  • Jay Hawk

    September 16, 2016 at 10:02 pm

    Failing to return Representative John Mica to the Congress would put Florida at a colossal disadvantage. Murphy is a hired gun and we are smart voters in Florida’s CD-7.

    • Jeremy Conlon

      September 22, 2016 at 9:45 pm

      Mica is a washed up bum. He has done more harm to District 7 than good during his tenure. Finally people who have blindly voted for him for years are getting a real profile of Mica’s voting record. He is not only losing independents to Mrs Murphy he is also losing his base. I am close to many of his core base and long time supporters and I am seeing these supporters of Mica jumping ship daily as Mica’s record is made front and center and they see the change Mrs Murphy can bring to our district. Thank you Mrs Murphy for finally bringing to light the failure that is Mica! He does not represent this district. We are split evenly with democrats and republicans and he has voted 97% of time with Republicans. I am an independent that votes based on the candidate and not the party. You guys can enjoy your last couple months on the Titanic.

Comments are closed.


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