After Don Gaetz handed them the recording device, the agents asked if they could take photos of his text messages with Alford, according to FBI records of the incident. Neither Lynch nor Hughes posed a significant challenge to Gaetz, and he won his first term with 75% of the vote to Lynch's 18% and Hughes' 7%. He is a political upstart trying to attract publicity.. [18] The case was settled in January 2018 with a confidential settlement. The other was Freeport Communications, owned by Odom, the former Gaetz client who had served six months in prison for campaign finance violations. He also made a name for himself as a troll. Don and Vicky bought the Santa Rosa Beach, Florida home in 1991. His 2014 disclosure form is still publicly available and lists his net worth as around $26 million. Matt Gaetz Net Worth $1 million. Gaetz denied any role in any wrongdoing that occurred. By 2022, Don Gaetz will have $30 million. media-tech companies with hubs around the world. In 2012, following the reconfiguration of the state's legislative districts, Gaetz was drawn into the 1st District, which included much of the territory that he had previously represented but dropped the extension into Pensacola for an inclusion of Holmes County, Jackson County, and Washington County. The company was initially set up as a non-profit that successfully lobbied Congress to allow Medicare and Medicaid to cover its services. The district hosts five military installations, including Eglin Air Force Base, one of the largest air bases in the world. Sansom said his relationship with Don Gaetz had already broken down before the scandal because he claims he was forced to fire Matt Gaetz. One asset the Congressman does have in common with his father: his single largest holding, a $100,000 to $250,000 stake in CareGivers Inc. He represented District 1 from 2006 to 2016 and served as President of the Senate from 2013 to 2014.. If you ask the office of Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican from the Florida Panhandle, what the congressmans unquestioning defense of Donald Trump has brought his district, you will receive a list titled President Trump Wins for FL-01. Among the 17 items: President Trump says Rep. Gaetz is handsome, going placesfantastic in Fort Myers, Florida rally., President Trump holds rally in Pensacola, FL with Matt Gaetz., President Trump calls Rep. Gaetz an absolute warrior in live Fox News interview., President Trump endorses Gaetz in the Republican primary calling him one of the finest and most talented people in Congress.. Don Gaetz said he asked his attorney, Jeffrey Neiman, to keep in contact with David Goldberg, an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, so there was evidence he was working with the feds. . Net Worth. He told her, I can you give you the warm wash rag treatment or I can tell you the truth, Merrill recalled. But the surprising fact is . Over half of the lawmakers in the state are worth a few million, and it's no surprise Gaetz is one of them. Gaetz is often described as Trumps protg, someone whos become a Fox News staple not just by sucking up to the president but by trying to out-Trump Trump with insults hurled at Democrats and anyone else with the temerity to challenge the president. By Gaetz reported that he earned $2.1 million in 2019, including a $1.2 million from an insurance claim Progressive tied to Hurricane Michael. from Troy State University. But that could depend on what happened to the real estate, says Paul S. Ryan, vice president of policy and litigation at the watchdog group Common Cause. According to a Forbes estimate, Gaetz along with mom and dad,. Three months later, he sold several vacant lots hed bought years earlier. He went on to serve in the Florida. How did that happen? Where did he come up with all that money? Identifying puts them at risk. Gaetz said he gets death threats from the same demographic of people who shot up the Republican baseball game. He added, Im not a monk. Rick Scott. Like a lot of people in his district, I wondered whether Gaetzs bombast even played well with his own family, which until recently occupied a genteel corner of the Panhandles Republican establishment. J.B. Pritzker (D) is . Four months later, he gave another $100,000. Don Gaetz, who was just 16 at the time, watched in horror on television. Gaetz has an estimated net worth of $40 million. Hes a fundamentally bad person, but nothing ever seems to stick to him, Specht says. Info. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters. Don was a popular politician, even among Democratic colleagues, who saw him as decent, if conservative. Vicky worked as a pharmacist for more than two decades. If you are going to make $5,000 a month you have to come to work, said Sansom, who said he had tried to have a friend-to-friend chat with Don Gaetz that he had concerns about Matt. Gaetz also donated the equivalent of his legislative salary to charity, and both Gaetz and his wife, Vicky, were known for their charitable work, including making available rental property for free to family friends or acquaintances down on their luck. 5. The two solid achievements on his list are extending red snapper fishing season over Labor Day in 2017 and working with the presidents daughter-in-law Lara Trump to create dog-training programs in federal prisons. He is completely insane. That prompted another GOP senator to label Gaetz a hypocrite. The elder Gaetz has the biggest chunk of his net worth in real estate investments, according to his disclosure. He has calculated that between 2000 and 2016, Milan increased its share of Italy's gross domestic product by an astonishing 17.7%. Submit a correction suggestion and help us fix it. In 2015, Odom was the primary financial backer of a company that won one of Floridas first seven medical marijuana growing licenses, authorized by a bill that Gaetz championed. Matt Gaetz's adoptive son, will be 21 years old in 2022. Can you pitch in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones' investigative journalism? Net Worth: Relationship: Kids: View . Matt Gaetz owns a net worth of $700,000 at present. Donald Gaetz has now been roped into his son's sex trafficking scandal, whose implications we don't fully understand yet. In 2017, Don wrote about his family tradition of donating to favored charities in lieu of Christmas gifts for each other. Florida State Senator Donald Gaetz, often dubbed "Baby Gaetz", is a wealthy man. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start. His portfolio includes shares of companies such as Uber, Raytheon, Coca-Cola and Eli Lilly. Perhaps that helped. He can say and do the most despicable things, and people just pull the lever.. Donald Gaetz, who shares his first name with the 45th president, helped his son become Trump's favorite politician. hitType: 'event', During a gun control hearing, Gaetz tried to get the parents of two Parkland school shooting victims ejected. But the moment of comity wouldnt last. }); He reports just $15,500 in liabilities, which he notes is a credit card balance. Don Gaetz graduated from Concordia College and earned his M.P.A. Matt wore a Gaetz for Superintendent T-shirt to school almost every day until his father prevailed in the election. REPUBLICAN politician Matt Gaetz, who is currently being investigated as part of a sex trafficking probe, has finally tied the knot. In the Legislature, Don Gaetz became known for his oratory skills and just like his son the ability to come up with a snappy comeback or a tartly-worded reply. Three months before declaring his candidacy for the state House, he sued Valparaiso on behalf of Okaloosa County and argued publicly that the citys opposition could sink the F-35 program. Matt was born in Hollywood, Florida, on May 7, 1982, to Don Gaetz, a Republican politician and former Senate President, and Victoria Quertermous, and grew up near Fort Walton Beach. Gaetz called it the Preventing Extreme Negligence with Classified Information Licenses Act, or PENCIL Act. In 2004, Don Gaetz and his partners cashed in, selling the hospice company to the parent company of the plumbing behemoth Roto-Rooter for $400 million. But this time, Gaetz wasnt heading into the election with the same deep pockets hed had in 2010. Matt Gaetz Net Worth is $25 Million. In April 2009, Sansom was indicted on corruption charges, accused of tweaking the state budget to funnel more than $25 million to Northwest Florida State College in Niceville. Don Gaetz (b. January 22, 1947) is a former Republican member of the Florida State Senate, representing District 1 from 2006 to 2016. Virtually everything Gaetz has done in Congress has been designed for maximum publicity. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), A poll found that nearly 85 percent of Okaloosa County residents, hoping for economic benefits from the program, wanted the county to force the city to drop the suit. He filed a debt collection suit against an elderly woman who couldnt pay the home care firm owned by Gaetzs dad. Matt Gaetz II was born on May 7, 1982, in Hollywood, Florida, to Victoria and Don Gaetz, who later became a prominent local politician. Can you pitch in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones' investigative journalism? . Gaetz refused, so the deputy arrested him. It's us but for your ears. Having a political background where his father, Don Gaetz was elected for representing some parts of Northwest Florida. The Justice Department has added two top prosecutors from Washington to the child sex trafficking investigation of Representative Matt Gaetz . I asked Gaetz what his family dinner conversations were like and whether his dad approved of the way he was doing his job. Gaetz, who went to college on a debate scholarship, would eventually move south to Florida and earn his fortune. Matt Gaetz Net Worth. The measure passed in 2018 after it was placed on the ballot by the states Constitution Revision Commission which Don Gaetz sat on. gads_event = event; Who is Matt Gaetz's wife Ginger Luckey? He allowed his chamber to vote on the bill. Wealth Boss Emerges as One to WatchA $300,000 Salary Feels Like $100,000 in The. Allegedly in exchange for the $25 million the men would get the Department of Justice to drop its sex trafficking probe into Matt Gaetz. In 2014, he rear-ended one of his constituents while talking on his cellphone.). That makes him wealthy enough, but his parents, Don and Victoria Gaetz, are among the nation's top 1% of ultra-high net worth individuals. He was also appointed by the President of the Senate to serve on the Florida Commission on Ethics until 2024. Luckey is known as the sister of Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus VR. Don Gaetz's entire fortune has everything to do with VITAS. In 2004, the companytouted as the nation's largest provider of hospice services for patients with severe, life-limiting illnesses, with more than 6,000 employeeswas bought by Cincinnati plumbing business Roto-Rooter for $406 million. Subscribe today and get a full year of Mother Jones for just $14.95. The path that took Don Gaetz to power began in North Dakota, where his own father, a former mayor who was running for lieutenant governor, died suddenly during a Republican Party convention in 1964. His West Beach drive residence in Panama City is worth a cool $2.2 million according to the form. During his first term in the Senate, Gaetz served as Chairman of the Senate Education Committee and attracted headlines when he attacked a Florida Department of Education official over a teacher bonus initiative. pg.acq.push(function() { Jerry Gaetz, his grandpa, was a mayor. We don't know how true that claim is, as there has been no official statement from the FBI or the Department of Justice (DoJ). Republican Sen. Don Gaetz of Niceville said Tuesday he's considering entering Florida's wide-open 2016 U.S. Senate race as a self-funding candidate. He was Senate president from 2012 to 2014. hitType: 'event', Super-PACs for Gaetz's run for the House have also reportedly received donations from Donald's companies. And Matt is also popular as Baby Gaetz. $700 thousand. He is serving as United States representative for Florida's first congressional district. Sometimes his tactics backfired and created ill-will. by openly discussing a possible extortion attempt, Rep. Matt Gaetz responds to sex trafficking allegations, During the legal battles over redistricting, the Senate eventually admitted, Scott was still seen as instrumental in blocking Don Gaetz from securing the presidency. Merrill, who got to know Don Gaetz when he was Okaloosa County school superintendent and both were considering running for Congress after Joe Scarborough resigned, recalled a meeting he set up between Don Gaetz and a local hospital CEO seeking financial help from the state. At 16, Donald saw his father die of a heart attack on live TV when Jerry was at the North Dakota Republican Party state convention. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), }); All net worths are calculated using data drawn from public sources. His total contribution was more than half his net worth and exceeded any of his opponents total fundraising. But Gaetz hasnt simply been copying the president; he was cultivating a Trumplike persona long before anyone considered the possibility of a President Trump. By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from Mother Jones and our partners. But the elder Gaetz, who inserted himself into his sons legal troubles by openly discussing a possible extortion attempt in connection with the federal investigation into Matt Gaetz, did agree to talk about his falling out with Sansom during a brief visit to Tallahassee Friday. As per online estimates, he makes a yearly salary of $174,000, the average salary of house representatives in the United States. Del. He still owns a company called TLC Caregivers, which helps elderly and disabled people with household tasks. We don't know when he celebrates his birthday because we don't know the details of his birth. Matt Gaetz has been a vocal supporter of the tea partys agenda, crusading against the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion in a state with 2.6 million uninsured residents. And Don Gaetz found himself in plenty of battles and still is today. pg.acq.push(function() { Forbes estimates that Gaetz and his parents are worth about $30 million, based on financial disclosures filed with the state of Florida and the United States House of Representatives. hitType: 'event', Quick Wikis Matt Gaetz Net Worth and Salary He has had a good career and has amassed a substantial sum of money. The firing had nothing to do with Gaetz, but combined with Gaetzs narrow escape from criminal charges, the incident reinforced his local reputation as an entitled neer-do-well, as one local paper described him. [17], In 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against VITAS for allegedly committing Medicare fraud since 2002, when Gaetz still worked at the company. On his offices 17-point list of Trump Wins for his district, there are few items of substance amid the various instances of flattery by the president. [1] Jerry Gaetz was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota at the 1964 North Dakota Republican Party state convention, where he died of a heart attack while his son watched television coverage of the event.[2][3]. Matt Gaetz is an American lawyer and politician who has a net worth of $700 thousand. As luck would have it, Trump was also dining there and came over to say hello. Gaetz raised nearly $480,000almost five times more than any of his rivals in the GOP primary and almost 50 times more than his Democratic challenger. The lawsuit gave Gaetz something besides money to campaign on. He told the Times he is the subject but not the target of the DOJ investigation. pg.acq.push(function() { It would have been illegal for Don Gaetz to lend six figures to the campaign, but he appears to have found another way to funnel money to his sons race. He didnt make the decision for his chamber. The district includes portions of Walton County and all of Escambia, Okaloosa, and Santa Rosa counties. In 1983, he cofounded hospice provider Vitas Healthcare with an ordained minister and registered nurse, and helped build it over the next two decades. During that meeting, Don Gaetz said, he was again set to wear a wire and try to get Alford to talk about payments he allegedly was to make to McGee, but the meeting fell apart when news broke that his son was being investigated by the Justice Department. Gaetzs office said in a statement that Gaetz had nothing to do with Jay Odom getting a medical marijuana license from the state health department. In 1964 Jerry was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota. After graduating from Concordia College in Minnesota, he worked as a hospital administrator in Wisconsin and Florida. 17:07 PST, Mar 31, 2021. Gaetz seems to spend more time on Fox News than in congressional committee rooms, and when he does legislate, its sometimes for show. While talking on his cellphone. ) and served as President of the DOJ investigation President of the Senate 2013! To school almost every day until his father prevailed in the was elected for representing some parts Northwest... 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