A rising national profile turned Gov. Ron DeSantis into a presidential contender.
It also made him a millionaire.
A financial disclosure filed with the Florida Commission on Ethics shows DeSantis’ net worth as of the end of 2022 grew to $1,174,331. That’s more than three times his reported net worth at the close of 2021, around $318,987.
The significant difference, first reported by the Miami Herald, came from a seven-figure book advance from HarperCollins Publishers. DeSantis’ sources of income show he earned $1.25 million from the New York-based publisher, which released the DeSantis memoir The Courage To Be Free in February. HarperCollins announced the tome in November.
The other primary source of income for DeSantis was his salary as Governor, a little more than $141,000.
A pair of retirement accounts for DeSantis has grown over the past 12 months as well.
A Florida Retirement System fund now sits at almost $55,000, about $7,000 more than its value in 2021. A Thrift Savings Plan has grown from just over $89,000 to nearly $92,000.
But at least as of the end of December, most of DeSantis’ book money sat in a USAA bank account. How he invests or spends that money will likely be unclear until he files financial disclosures for 2023 next June.
The only debt on the books for DeSantis is a Navient/Sallie Mae student loan, now under $19,000.
Florida doesn’t require the reports to include assets or liabilities controlled only by First Lady Casey DeSantis, the Governor’s wife. Should DeSantis win election as President, federal disclosures will also require the release of his spouse’s financials.
The disclosures both show the modest financial earnings of the Governor, who, unlike several predecessors in the Governor’s Mansion, did not arrive rich. DeSantis’ net worth at the end of 2018, days before he took office after winning his first term, was $283,604.
At the time, he had less than $42,000 in his bank account. At the time, he also reported a $450,000 home in Ponte Vedra among his assets, along with a $263,100 home loan; he has since sold the property. He also reported some income from renting that property in 2018.
His net worth has grown steadily in intervening years, but his income until this year has primarily been limited to his salary as Florida’s chief executive.
But the latest disclosures also show how interest in DeSantis as a presidential contender has already significantly enriched him personally.
The book was viewed primarily as a primer for the presidential campaign he launched formally in May. But the profile that made him a viable candidate also made him a bestselling author. His book topped the New York Times bestseller list after its release. There will likely be plenty of royalties to report in the future.
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