Count me with Andrew Jackson.. Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox. 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. 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. But Gaetz hasnt simply been copying the president; he was cultivating a Trumplike persona long before anyone considered the possibility of a President Trump. Following the completion of his schooling, Donald went to the Evangelical Lutheran-affiliated Concordia College in Minnesota. All of Gaetzs real estate was purchased by the same buyer: a company called Treveron, which, it turns out, is owned by his dad. By Don Gaetz would go further and helped put a constitutional amendment on the 2018 Florida ballot that put in place a six-year ban on former legislators and former state officials from lobbying state government. Once the public money started flowing, the nonprofit became a for-profit corporation, Vitas, that grew into the countrys largest hospice care provider. [7], Gaetz opted to run for Okaloosa County superintendent of schools in 2000, and faced David Morgan, the principal of Niceville High School,[8] in the Republican primary. }); In 1983, he founded VITAS Healthcare. document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ Prior to that, he was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 4 th district. The scheme itself apparently arose out of the sex trafficking investigation into Matt Gaetz, although the two do not appear to be directly related. When Crist tweeted, We need a governor with a heart again, Gaetz hit back: Its nice to have one with a brainwho didnt need 3 tries to pass the Bar Exam., No target was too small, not even constituents who commented on stories at the tiny Northwest Florida Daily News. Net Worth. Rick Scott. }); He told POLITICO he hired Matt Gaetz initially as his legislative aide, but then switched him to a job with the Republican Party. He and Gaetz were friends and allies and Gaetz celebrated when Sansom was first designated as speaker. eventAction: 'click_ads' As of 2018 Don Gaetz is 70 years years old. [9] He was unopposed for re-election in 2004. We welcome all corrections and feedback using the button below. hitType: 'event', Who is Matt Gaetz's wife Ginger Luckey? [21], VITAS Healthcare Department of Justice lawsuit, "GOP lawmaker Don Gaetz is rising fast as a state Senate leader", "How 'Papa Gaetz' tells you everything you need to know about Matt Gaetz", "Okaloosa County, General Election November 8, 1994", "Okaloosa first in sales tax for schools only", "High school torn apart by religious-rights battle", "(09/01/1998) 1st Republican Primary Election", "Gaetz faces challenger for first time in 12 years", "Big bucks flowing to state Senate primary in the Panhandle", "Overhaul proposed for educational standards", "November 6, 2012 General Election, State Senator District: 1", Florida man sentenced to 5 years in plot to extort Matt Gaetz's father, "Lawsuit accuses Senate President Don Gaetz's former company of Medicaid fraud", "Docket for United States v. VITAS Hospice Services, L.L.C., 4:13-cv-00449 - CourtListener.com", "Rep. Matt Gaetz wants you to know who he is, and his plan is working", "Erin Gaetz launches her own digital content firm", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Don_Gaetz&oldid=1150355084, This page was last edited on 17 April 2023, at 17:56. Dons opponent in the Republican primary was the principal of Matts Niceville high school. ga('create', 'UA-67136960-15', 'auto', 'ads'); Gaetz's birth name is Matthew Lous Gaetz II. 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 chokes up, a rare thing for him, when we donate in his name.. His Natchez Street, Seaside residence was valued at $1.7 million, and his Tupelo Street residence at $1.1 million. Before moving to Donald's current city of Santa Rosa Beach, FL, Donald lived in Niceville FL. [13] He was re-elected without opposition in 2010. As long as Treveron paid fair market value for the real estatewhich it appears to have donehe says, the campaign contribution from Gaetz was likely legal. At present, his age is 38 years old. During a gun control hearing, Gaetz tried to get the parents of two Parkland school shooting victims ejected. George P. Shultz is an American economist, statesman and investor who has a net worth of $20 million. ga('ads.send', { 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. The governor scheduled the Republican primary barely a month later. Don Gaetz is 74 years old and a former Republican member of the Florida State Senate. Sansom, who once worked in the Okaloosa County school system directly under Don Gaetz, would have his political career derailed just as he had risen to House speaker. Yet less than three weeks after Miller announced his retirement, Gaetz dumped $100,000 into his own campaign. He is a powerful supporter of former U. S. President Donald Trump. Most of that was tied up in property he owned. I richly earned my opponents, giving, I hope, as good as I got. Gaetzs office confirmed that he donated the proceeds from the real estate sales to his campaign. After Trump mocked the House Intelligence Committee chair, one of his chief antagonists, as little pencil-neck Adam Schiff, Gaetz went on Tucker Carlsons show to announce a resolution to boot the California Democrat off the committee. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is the seventh-wealthiest person in the world, with a net worth of $94.5 billion. He can say and do the most despicable things, and people just pull the lever.. And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. Theres no doubt about it.. He told me about the time he invited his father to Trumps 2019 State of the Union address. Submit a correction suggestion and help us fix it. Early life and career [ edit] The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big wayand we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this. The corruption charges against Sansom and Odom were dropped two years after their indictments, but the prosecution forced Sansom to resign in February 2010, 10 months before he would be term-limited out. They own a portfolio of publicly-traded stocks, 13 pieces of real estate, seven-figure stakes in three private companies, as well as $375,000 worth of antiques, imported rugs, furniture, books and a 2013 Mercedes-Benz S550. Im just a congressman.. Chaplain, I have sworn an oath on my fathers Bible before Almighty God to preserve, protect and defend the constitution and government of the United States, Don Gaetz wrote. Don Gaetz is a member of famous Celebrity list. It probably hurt him more than it helped.. Maybe he keeps losing elections because he cant show up for work. Don Gaetz also forcefully denied that he ever had a conversation where Sansom criticized his son. pg.acq.push(function() { But DOJ canceled his appearance at the event when they saw that Gaetz, a member of that committee, had RSVPd for it. And he sued the red fish chix, two professional fisherwomen accused of absconding with a $50,000 boat belonging to a local restaurant that had hired them to promote it. He was Senate president from 2012 to 2014. He allowed his chamber to vote on the bill. He bought the house with his wife, Victoria, in 1991. Many people who had backed Don Gaetz donated to his son that year, including the biggest monied interests in the district: local real estate developers, health care companies, and a Pensacola beer baron. Don was a popular politician, even among Democratic colleagues, who saw him as decent, if conservative. Over half of the lawmakers in the state are worth a few million, and it's no surprise Gaetz is one of them. While serving in this role, he successfully lobbied the state legislator to create hospice care programs for the dying. "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. I am pleading with you not to identify them, he said. Donald Jay Gaetz was born in 1948 to Olive Knutson and Jerry Gaetz. We appreciate you reaching out, and Im sorry I cant be of more help., I said to the FBI Im willing to wear a wire and be cooperative, but I was asked to say things that are not true to draw out an admission, Don Gaetz said in the interview. We noticed you have an ad blocker on. And Don Gaetz found himself in plenty of battles and still is today. },false) For more articles read aloud: download the Audm iPhone app. Don Gaetz said in the interview he wore a wire during a meeting earlier this month with McGee and said he was set to meet Wednesday with Stephen Alford, a local developer who he said is also part of the alleged extortion scheme. That prompted another GOP senator to label Gaetz a hypocrite. He has had a good career and has amassed a substantial sum of money. hitType: 'event', Prior to his election, Gaetz served in the Florida House of Representatives for about six. Don held himself to an incredibly high standard of ethics, preparation and performance and demanded no less from those around him. 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. Don Gaetz's entire fortune has everything to do with VITAS. Samson eventually resigned, paving the way for Matt Gaetz to win the House seat in a special election. Share. Having a political background where his father, Don Gaetz was elected for representing some parts of Northwest Florida. He was initially set to face state representative Holly Benson in the Republican primary,[12] but Benson ultimately declined to run, and Gaetz won the nomination, and then the general election, unopposed. He represented District 1 from 2006 to 2016 and served as President of the Senate from 2013 to 2014.. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), He had less than $90,000 in liquid assets. Matt would be an assistant manager at Walmart if it werent for his father, says Steven Specht, a Democrat who ran against Gaetz for Congress in 2016. Last year, Sansom tried to mount a political comeback by running for school superintendent. The Gaetzes say they are the target of an extortion plot seeking money to keep the DOJ investigation quiet. 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. gads_event = event; A resident of Gaetzs district filed a complaint with the state elections division, observing that the transfer of almost $400K from State PACs to a Federal PAC afforded Mr. Gaetz an edge that shortchanged voters, vis a vis their ability to objectively evaluate candidates. The elections division dismissed the complaint, saying that the PACs had done nothing wrong because they dissolved before donating the funds to the federal entity. Fortune has everything to do with VITAS opponents, giving, i hope as. I richly earned my opponents, giving, i hope, as good as got... Richly earned my opponents, giving, i hope, as good as got... Dons opponent in the world, with a net worth of $ 20 million of his,! 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