Gov. DeSantis’ net worth declined in 2021

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis’ net worth dropped just over 8.5% in his third year as the state’s chief executive.

Listing the $134,181 he made as governor as his only income, DeSantis reported a net worth of $318,987 as of Dec. 31. DeSantis filed the financial disclosure last week at the state Division of Elections as part of reelection campaign documents.

Last year, DeSantis reported a net worth of $348,832 as of Dec. 31, 2020. That was up from $291,449 at the end of 2019.

State candidates and elected officials are required to file annual disclosure reports that typically detail their finances as of the end of the prior year.

The forms require disclosure of estimated net worths, assets valued at more than $1,000, liabilities of more than $1,000 and information about income.

DeSantis listed assets at the end of 2021 of $202,980 in USAA checking and savings accounts; $89,066 in a thrift savings plan, a type of retirement savings and investment plan; and $48,226 in the Florida Retirement System.

The Florida Retirement System account grew by $17,923 from the previous year, while the USAA total fell by $32,020 and the thrift plan decreased by $16,689.

DeSantis also continued to pay down a Sallie Mae student loan during 2021, with the balance going from $22,225 at the end of 2020 to $21,285 as of Dec. 31.

DeSantis, who lives in the governor’s mansion and listed no real estate holdings, sold his Ponte Vedra Beach home in March 2019 for $460,000, according to St. Johns County property records.

When DeSantis ran for governor, his reported net worth for 2017 stood at $310,971. It fell to $283,605 the next year.

Charlie Crist’s nearly $2M net worth

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist, a congressman from St. Petersburg, posted a net worth of $1.956 million as of Dec. 31.

When Crist last ran for a statewide office in 2014, his net worth was reported at $1.25 million.

In a disclosure report filed Monday, Crist reported just over $2 million in investments and money in bank accounts, along with a 2005 25-foot Trophy Fisherman Center Console boat worth $45,000.

Crist listed as income his congressional pay of $174,000, $57,493 from the Florida Division of Retirement and just over $50,000 from investments.

His only liability in 2021 was $35,000 for rental property in St. Petersburg.

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who is competing with Crist for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, had not filed a new disclosure report as of early Tuesday afternoon.

Reports from Republican state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis and Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody, both seeking reelection, also had not been posted on the Division of Elections website.

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Wilton Simpson’s net worth drops

Senate President Wilton Simpson, a Trilby Republican running for agriculture commissioner, filed a disclosure that showed a net worth of $22.5 million as of Dec. 31, down nearly 28.6% from a year earlier.

Simpson has seen his net worth fall more than 32% since becoming Senate president in 2020.

In the new report, Simpson listed assets including Simpson Farms in Trilby, worth $10.934 million. He also listed a one-third ownership in the limited liability company Belly Wadding as being valued at $592,179. Belly Wadding’s major source of income is listed as NOSNAWS Corp., which owns IHOP restaurants in Florida.

Simpson’s money-market accounts and other intangible property totals fell from $6.9 million in 2020 to just under $6.3 million at the end of 2021.

In addition to $39,021 in income from the state, Simpson reported drawing $1.65 million from Simpson Farms, $1.25 million from environmental safety company SES Hold Co. and $22,058 from Belly Wadding.

Simpson’s home is valued at $602,073, while a Plaza Tower condominium in Tallahassee has an appraised value of $270,870.

By Jim Turner, News Service of Florida