Theres obviously people who feel like they have been hurt by him Dons very rough. He is a former member of the Florida State Senate but is probably best-known or being the father of politician Matt Gaetz. In 1983, he founded VITAS Healthcare. The charges were eventually dropped, but Sansom also came under fire for getting a high-paying job with a community college that got help in the state budget. Politics can be thrilling and noble, just as it can be base and disgusting.. Matt Gaetz's adoptive son, will be 21 years old in 2022. On his latest disclosure, which covers assets he had in 2019, he lists ownership of several undeveloped lots in Florida worth between $19,000 and $110,000 as well as retirement accounts worth between $65,000 and $150,000. Matt said his father was wearing a wire to help the FBI catch the extortionists. [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]. Four months later, he gave another $100,000. Over half of the lawmakers in the state are worth a few million, and it's no surprise Gaetz is one of them. In 2016, Matt's financial disclosures put his net worth at just under half a million, with most of it tied to real estate. Odom did not respond to an interview request.). Gaetz, R-Fla., a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, is being investigated by the Department of Justice about whether the 39-year-old congressman had a sexual relationship with a . 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. The super-PAC, which spent more than $500,000 on Gaetzs behalf, received $10,000 from TLC Caregivers. Charlie Crist during his 2014 campaign against Gov. He is a political upstart trying to attract publicity.. [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. In reality, the program couldnt be reversed without an act of Congress. eventAction: 'view' Political observers saw Don Gaetz as Millers logical successor. But DOJ canceled his appearance at the event when they saw that Gaetz, a member of that committee, had RSVPd for it. He had less than $90,000 in liquid assets. Net Worth: Relationship: Kids: View . document.querySelector("#google_image_div").addEventListener('click',function(){ His 2014 disclosure form is still publicly available and lists his net worth as around $26 million. The Gaetzes were conservative and religious, as was the surrounding community. He didnt make the decision for his chamber. On Thursday, the Daily Beast reported that Gaetz had sent money to his longtime ally Joel Greenberg, who . Matt Gaetz is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 1 st district who succeeded Jeff Miller on January 3, 2017. 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. Matt Gaetz, when asked about Sansoms assertion that he didnt show up for work, called him a bitter defeated politician who has lost more races than he has won in the community that still strongly has my back. He has a sister named Erin Gaetz. From most of his 10 years in the Florida Senate, Don Gaetz was the chamber's richest member. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Rep. Matt Gaetzs father, Don, a former Florida Senate president, said he is working with the FBI, including wearing a wire on more than one occasion as part of an investigation into an alleged extortion plot that the pair said was organized by former federal prosecutor David McGee. Yet less than three weeks after Miller announced his retirement, Gaetz dumped $100,000 into his own campaign. The lawsuit gave Gaetz something besides money to campaign on. While Don Gaetz is now out of the Florida state legislature, he currently serves as an appointed board member of a nonprofit set up to oversee the distribution of funds meant for Florida counties affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. But a lawyer from Gaetzs firm succeeded in getting the charges dropped a few months later. Copyright 2023 Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress. Alford later told investigators that he lied to the Gaetz's about the pardon. Matts father, Don Gaetz, has been a prominent figure in Panhandle politics since first winning election to the Okaloosa County school board in 1994. Who is Matt Gaetz's wife Ginger Luckey? We are one of the worlds fastest growing Mr. 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. Since stepping down from office, Gaetz's net worth hasn't declined, but only shot up. Don Gaetz made a fortune selling his hospice company, Vitas, in 2004 with his partners for $406million He then launched a career in the Florida Senate, serving between 2006 and 2016 At the. Flattery in Trumpworld is a two-way street, and Gaetz, 37, has earned a reputation for becoming one of the partys highest-profile members by cheerleading for the president and emulating his public bullying and trolling. We're a nonprofit (so it's tax-deductible), and reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget. His net worth amount is mainly composed of real estate investments, stakes in private companies, and salary. Del. Wikifamouspeople has ranked Don Gaetz as of the popular celebs list. Three months later, he sold several vacant lots hed bought years earlier. He did make some enemies in Tallahassee, Merrill said. His descendants played important roles in the politics of the Duchy of Milan and as cardinals in the Catholic . Don Gaetz, who was just 16 at the time, watched in horror on television. Perhaps he was always destined for politics since Jerry too was a career politician. But after a period of three to four months, he fired the younger Gaetz because he failed to show up to work. His father's name is Donald Jay Gaetz and his mother's name is Victoria Quertermous. It probably hurt him more than it helped.. (Two abortion doctors were murdered in the area during Gaetzs childhood.) The new jets were loud: A report commissioned by the Pentagon showed that the fighter program would render 93 percent of the town of Valparaiso unsuitable for development, with some areas uninhabitable because of the noise. Don Gaetz is a former Florida senator who served from 2006 to 2016. Gaetz's birth name is Matthew Lous Gaetz II. According to a Forbes estimate, Gaetz along with mom and dad,. Odom shares one of Gaetzs biggest policy goals: legalizing medical marijuana. Those actions could violate federal sex trafficking laws, according to The Times, which cited three people briefed on the matter. His official Senate portrait features him holding the legislation he championed. Don was a popular politician, even among Democratic colleagues, who saw him as decent, if conservative. In March 2016, Rep. Jeff Miller, a former TV weather forecaster who represented Floridas 1st District, the Preventing Extreme Negligence with Classified Information Licenses Act. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { HuffPost. The super-PAC and the state PACs listed the same treasurer, and the state PACs were chaired by the wife of a former chief of staff to Don Gaetz. He says he persuaded the president to include $124 million for northwest Florida military projects in his 2020 budget, even though most of those projects had been in military budget planning documents before Gaetz was elected. How did that happen? Her profile states that she is currently attending Harvard Business school and working towards her degree . Matt Gaetz Net Worth is $25 Million. ga('ads.send', { We can neither confirm nor deny the existence or status of an investigation, nor can we offer comment at this time, Clark said. Gaetz learned early on how to use the military to advance his political career without actually having to enlist. Donald Jay Gaetz (/ets/ GAYTS; born January 22, 1948) is a Republican politician who served as a member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016, representing parts of Northwest Florida. 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. Levinson is a former FBI agent and CIA contractor who vanished in Iran in 2007. From most of his 10 years in the Florida Senate, Don Gaetz was the chambers richest member. In one notable instance, Don Gaetz bent to the political will of other Republicans. Don Gaetz, a businessman turned political powerhouse in the Panhandle, served on the Okaloosa County school board before he was elected superintendent. Matt says we can never do enough for them and their families. He relentlessly insulted three-time-party-flipping former Gov. During a gun control hearing, Gaetz tried to get the parents of two Parkland school shooting victims ejected. Of those funds, $6 million was earmarked to build a hangar at the Destin airport for a jet company owned by one of Sansoms friends and donors, real estate developer Jay Odom. Florida businessman Stephen Alford pleaded guilty in a $25 million extortion plot targeting Don Gaetzina convoluted schemeto secure a presidential pardon for Gaetz's son, Matt, who came under investigation regarding allegations of sex trafficking. He allowed his chamber to vote on the bill. Former Gov. eventAction: 'click_ads' My falling out with Ray had nothing to do with Matt, Don Gaetz said. The Gaetzes owned a second home, in the nearby town of Seaside, where The Truman Show was filmed. 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. I richly earned my opponents, giving, I hope, as good as I got. Matt, like his mother and sister, was a longtime TLC Caregivers board member, earning $10,000 a year. Matt wore a Gaetz for Superintendent T-shirt to school almost every day until his father prevailed in the election. One night in October 2008, Gaetz was driving his dads BMW home from a nightclub on Okaloosa Island when a sheriffs deputy pulled him over for speeding. Matt Gaetz is a Republican congressman who has been representing Florida's first district since 2017. During the legal battles over redistricting, the Senate eventually admitted that it violated anti-gerrymandering laws when drawing them up. He represented District 1 from 2006 to 2016 and served as President of the Senate from 2013 to 2014.. Gaetz refused, so the deputy arrested him. (Don wasnt named in the case and has denied any wrongdoing.). The only investors who wont let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its futureyou. The company was initially set up as a non-profit that successfully lobbied Congress to allow Medicare and Medicaid to cover its services. But the surprising fact is . Matt also represented a homeowners association fighting the county over the placement of a beach volleyball net. The meanest member of Congress hails from a town called Niceville, a sleepy enclave of about 15,000 nestled on Choctawhatchee Bay, just off the Gulf of Mexico. . eventAction: 'render' Don Gaetz was very much more of an old-school Republican, says. Since his election to the U.S. House in 2016, Gaetz has veered away from the Republican establishment that supported his first run and become a full-throated Donald Trump supporter who voted against certifying the 2020 election results on the day of the January 6 Capitol riot. Gaetz, who has devoted his career to getting on television, spent much of his childhood in a house made famous by a character trying to get off TV. 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. window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { Dons opponent in the Republican primary was the principal of Matts Niceville high school. 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. He and Gaetz were friends and allies and Gaetz celebrated when Sansom was first designated as speaker. Can you pitch in a few bucks to help fund Mother Jones' investigative journalism? In his own financial disclosure forms, Don described Treveron as a property management company that rents space and provides management services to TLC Caregivers. Submit a correction suggestion and help us fix it. Gaetz also had half a million worth of personal effects, including antiques, imported rugs and furniture. In separate interviews, Don and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) acknowledged a Justice Department probe involving the younger Gaetz, 38, into whether he had improper involvement with a 17-year-old girl. 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. Prior to his election, Gaetz served in the Florida House of Representatives for about six. He said that Matt Gaetz told him that this was his time to not have to come to work so he could sow his wild oats.. George Shultz is a member of Republicans. Jerry Gaetz, his grandpa, was a mayor. 5. Oct. 21, 2021. Don Gaetz is 74 years old and a former Republican member of the Florida State Senate. Just 27 years old and three years removed from law school at William & Mary, his campaign raised $479,000, including support from Jeb Bush, MSNBC host Joe Scarborough and more than $100,000 from him and his family. Matt Gaetz Net Worth. He got involved in a failed leadership coup when he tried to help a scheme to usurp a central Florida Republican in line to succeed him. The Gaetzes say they are the target of an extortion plot seeking money to keep the DOJ investigation quiet. Contending that he decided he didnt want to be in Congress, Don Gaetz bowed out and instead recruited someone else to run for the spot: His son Matt. As of 2018 Don Gaetz is 70 years years old. But Sansom was indicted in 2009 over charges he steered state funds to a project benefitting a GOP donor. In 2001, he was born in Cuba. All of Gaetzs real estate was purchased by the same buyer: a company called Treveron, which, it turns out, is owned by his dad. Gaetz campaigned on his grassroots efforts to introduce himself to potentially new constituents in the district and attacked his opponent for his "misunderstanding of the legislative process. By Michael S. Schmidt and Katie Benner. He represented District 1 from 2006 to 2016 and served as President of the Senate from 2013 to 2014. Having a political background where his father, Don Gaetz was elected for representing some parts of Northwest Florida. ga('ads.send', { Dj Gaetz, Doanld Gaetz, Donald J Gaetz, Donal J Gaetz and Donald J Gaeta are some of the alias or nicknames that Donald has used. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ In the late 1970s, Gaetz. He filed a debt collection suit against an elderly woman who couldnt pay the home care firm owned by Gaetzs dad. Gaetz was born in Rugby, North Dakota, the son of Olive (Knutson) and Jerry Gaetz, a former mayor of the city and a state legislator. MEAWW brings you the best content from its global team of [19], Gaetz and his wife, Victoria (ne Quertermous) reside in Seaside, Florida, in a house that was used in the film The Truman Show; a sign on their white picket fence says "the Truman house". Don was a popular politician, even among Democratic colleagues, who saw him as decent, if conservative. MEAWW brings you the best content from its global team of (Gaetzs office now says his father misspoke.) But demonstrating fealty to military veterans is critical in Floridas 1st Congressional District, where one in every six residents has served in the military. While his name is frequently on lists for higher office, Axios reported this week that Gaetz has considered leaving Congress to take a job at conservative news outlet Newsmax. He told me about the time he invited his father to Trumps 2019 State of the Union address. Don Gaetz, famed for lengthy speeches replete with historical references that were even parodied during the annual press corps skits, was no less blunt when he pushed for a crackdown on swamp-like behavior in Tallahassee. One of those, called CareGivers Inc., received a PPP loan in 2020 for between $350,000 and $1 million. Meanwhile, Millers unexpected retirement created a compressed campaign calendar that once again gave the well-funded junior Gaetz an advantage. Don and Victoria famously own and reside in the home that was used in "The Truman Show" the marital home of Jim Carrey, as Truman Burbank, and Laura Linney, as Meryl Burbank. pg.acq.push(function() { But Gaetz hasnt simply been copying the president; he was cultivating a Trumplike persona long before anyone considered the possibility of a President Trump. While in the Florida House, he had started and chaired two leadership PACs, which raised hundreds of thousands of dollars that he used to influence races for county commissioner and other local offices. But the moment of comity wouldnt last. Fans baffled by singer's sudden exit, Jacob Stevens: Family shares heartbreaking photo of teen who died attempting viral TikTok challenge, 'I'd do the same again': Donna Delbono, who turned in killer teen son to cops, says she has 'no regrets'. A member of the Union address the nearby town of Seaside, where the Truman show was filmed few later. Three months later, earning $ 10,000 a year during the legal battles over redistricting, the Daily reported! Of 2018 Don Gaetz was very much more of an old-school Republican says... 'Click ', function ( event ) { in the Catholic having to enlist he did make some enemies Tallahassee... Declined, but only shot up Gaetz served in the Florida House Representatives. 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