March 28, 2024

Rich Floridians

Richest Floridians: The Top 25

Mike Vogel | 4/1/2013

17 Isaac Perlmutter, 70
$2 billion - Palm Beach

Along with selling Marvel to Disney and becoming a major Disney shareholder, his lifetime credits include the boast of never having given an interview and unflattering reports of brutish management actions. He's so rarely photographed that all articles of him tend to have the same shot.

18 Wilbur Ross Jr., 75
$2 billion - Palm Beach, investments

Though he made his name and money in Rust Belt industries, Ross has been an active investor in Florida. He’s one of the group that acquired failed BankUnited. He bought into Ponte Vedra-based Capital Markets Cooperative and was a member of a syndicate that bought commercial mortgages backed, for the most part, by condos heavily concentrated in south Florida.

19 Alfred James Clark, 85
$2 billion - Vero Beach, Clark Enterprises

The founder of Clark Enterprises, the huge, private general contractor, is active in construction, real estate and philanthropy — in Maryland and Washington, D.C.

20 S. Daniel Abraham, 88
$1.6 billion- Palm Beach, Slim-Fast

For ages, people strolling along the intracoastal waterfront in Palm Beach could see the yacht named Slim-Fast, the product that made S. Daniel Abraham’s wealth. The Democratic donor founded the New Synagogue of Palm Beach.

21 Norman Braman, 80
$1.6 billion - Indian Creek Village, auto dealerships

Norman Braman is best known for his car dealerships and former ownership of the Philadelphia Eagles. Many Miami politicos know him as a thorn in their side. Braman led the fight against using tax money to build the new Marlins stadium and to get Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez recalled. He now fights an effort to get taxpayer support for a Dolphins stadium renovation.

22 George Lindemann, 76
$1.5 billion - Palm Beach, investments

Native New Yorker and Wharton grad, Lindemann's made money in cable, cellular phones and a pipeline company, among others.

23 Christopher Cline, 55
$1.5 billion - North Palm Beach, coal

Coal mogul Christopher Cline’s office says he doesn’t give interviews. But he gave one to Bloomberg Markets Magazine in 2010, saying it was time to speak out on behalf of coal. Since then, Cline has been fodder for the gossip columns: Friendship with Tiger Woods’ ex, Elin Nordegren, and his stepping out with a former Miss Florida. His yacht, Mine Games, hosted “booze-fueled parties” that “quickly became a preferred hangout for young Palm Beach society,” blogger Jose Lambiet has written. Cline hosted a Florida fundraiser for Mitt Romney.

24 Tom Golisano, 71
$1.4 billion - Naples, Paychex

The Paychex founder moved from New York in 2009. He wrote: “I’m leaving. And by domiciling in Florida, I will personally save $13,800 every single day. That’s a pretty strong incentive.” The money he saves he’s donating — and then some. And unlike some billionaires who relocate here, his checkbook has been open for local causes: $4 million for the Tom Golisano Field House at Ave Maria University; $5 million to the Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples; and $20 million to build a Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.

25 John Henry, 63
$1.2 billion - Boca Raton, investing

The Boca Raton commodities player sold the Marlins to buy the Red Sox. Last year, he closed his Boca Raton firm to outside money after poor returns. His family foundation has supported Florida non-profits.

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