Being one of the successful American businessmen, Rick Scott was able to rise to a position of power after conquering the business landscape somewhat. The Republican Party member served in the United States Navy and served two terms as Florida’s 45th Governor before successfully running to become the elected United States Senator from Florida.
Biography of Rick Scott
On December 1, 1952, in Bloomington, Illinois, Rick Scott was born as Richard Lynn Myers to his parents; Esther and Gordon William Myers. For the first two years of his life, Scott lived with his mother after his parents divorced when he was a child. In 1954, however, the two-year-old gained a father after his mother had a second marriage attempt and married Orba George Scott Jr. who adopted him. Scott quickly adopted his stepfather’s last name when the family made North Kansas City, Missouri their home.
Scott attended North Kansas City High School where he graduated in 1970. He then attended community college for a year before enlisting in the United States Navy. He worked as a radar technician for 29 months before returning to school. This time, he enrolled at the University of Missouri and earned a degree in business administration.
Scott made his first foray into business around this time, buying and re-launching a donut shop, while studying for a Juris Doctor degree at Southern Methodist University.
After graduating from law school, Rick Scott worked as a lawyer in the state of Texas. During this time he also expanded his business by adding a hospital chain, the Columbia Hospital Corporation to his portfolio in the early 1980s. Scott served as President and CEO of what became the largest healthcare company world health in the early 90s, however, his reign at the top came to an abrupt end when he was forced to resign from his post after an FBI, IRS and Department of Health and Human Services investigation for fraud .
Scott’s next foray was venture capital. He created Richard L. Scott Investments which had stakes in healthcare, manufacturing and technology. Some of the companies Scott has contributed to at this time include CyberGuard, Budd Plastics, Alijor.com, Drives, America’s Health Network, Solantic, and Pharmaca, among others. The company was first started in Stamford, Connecticut, but later moved to Naples, Florida – the state where he began his political career.
In 2010, Rick Scott personally bankrolled his campaign for Governor of Florida under the Republican Party and won. He was re-elected four years later in 2014, then in 2018 managed to run for a seat in the United States Senate, representing Florida.
His net worth
Rick Scott, along with some of his colleagues like Bill Haslam, Mark Dayton, Jim Justice, and Bruce Rauner, feature in an exclusive list of US governors who are multi-millionaires and billionaires. The Florida governor and two-time senator has an estimated net worth of around $255 million.
Scott has made most of his money from the many businesses he has owned over the years. During his tenure as governor, he established a blind trust for his assets which was managed by one of his business associates, to avoid a conflict of interest. However, in 2018, a New York Times report suggested that Scott’s blind trust was only blind in name because he was keenly aware of his business dealings, some of which were believed to be fostered by his administration’s policies.
Rick’s wife, children and family life
Rick Scott is married to his high school sweetheart, Frances Annette Holland. Frances, who is almost a year older than her husband, born February 11, 1952 in Alabama, exchanged vows with Scott on April 20, 1972.
They have been together ever since and their union has been blessed with two daughters (Jordan and Allison) and four grandchildren – Eli, Sebastian, Quinton and Auguste.
Scott involved his family members in his business exploits. He and his wife hold several shares in several companies while he and his daughter Allison co-founded one of his former companies, Alijor.com. You guessed it, the name comes from the first three letters of his two daughters.