Rick Scott
RepublicanU.S. Senator, FL| Age | 73 (b. 1952-12-01) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 2019-01-08 (~7 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | White |
| Religion | Christian (Protestant, unspecified denomination; co-founded Naples Community Church in 2006) |
| Education | Attended North Kansas City High School (grad. 1970); BBA, University of Missouri–Kansas City (1975); JD, Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law (1978) |
| Prior occupation | Attorney (healthcare mergers, Dallas TX); co-founder and CEO of Columbia Hospital Corporation / Columbia/HCA Healthcare (1987–1997); venture capitalist and healthcare entrepreneur (1997–2010) |
| Military service | Yes: United States Navy (Petty Officer Third Class) |
| Birthplace | Bloomington, Illinois |
| Languages | English |
| Marital status | married — Ann Holland Scott (née Francis Annette Holland; married 1972) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Naples, Florida |
Pending research: notable relatives · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2010 |
| Previous offices | Governor of Florida, 2011–2019 |
| Committees | Senate Armed Services Committee (Subcommittee on Seapower, Chair) · Senate Budget Committee · Senate Special Committee on Aging (Chair) · Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee · Senate Foreign Relations Committee |
| Leadership | Chair, National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), 2021–2023 · Chair, Senate Special Committee on Aging, 119th Congress · Chair, Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower, 119th Congress |
| Ideology | Strongly conservative; Heritage Action scorecard: high ratings; challenged Mitch McConnell for Senate Minority Leader in 2022 on platform of aggressive conservatism; released '11-Point Plan to Rescue America' (2022) |
| Signature legislation | END FENTANYL Act (S. 206, 118th Congress) · American Security Drone Act of 2023 (S. 473, 118th Congress) · GAO Database Modernization Act of 2023 (S. 679, 118th Congress) · Disaster Contract Improvement Act (S. 310, 118th Congress) · Sunshine Protection Act (permanent Daylight Saving Time, Senate sponsor) |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $270,838,240–$808,320,000 (2023) · estimate
| Personal Residence – Naples, FL | real_estate · $1,000,001–$50,000,000 · 2023 |
| Airplanes | other · $1,000,001–$50,000,000 · 2023 |
| Elliott Associates, L.P. | private_equity · $1,000,001–$25,000,000 · 2023 |
| Briarwood Capital Partners LP | private_equity · $1,000,001–$25,000,000 · 2023 |
| Pershing Advisor Solutions – BNY Mellon | fund · $1,000,001–$25,000,000 · 2023 |
Top donors: US Senate (NRSC contributions) ($842,699)
Top industries: Finance, Insurance & Real Estate · Securities & Investment · Healthcare · Real Estate · Retired/Individual donors
Scandals & crimes ledger
resolved — Columbia/HCA Healthcare Fraud – Corporate Guilty Plea and $1.7 Billion Settlement business
Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation, the nation's largest for-profit hospital chain co-founded and led by Rick Scott as CEO (1994–1997), was found to have systematically defrauded Medicare and Medicaid through false billing, inflated diagnosis codes, illegal kickbacks to physicians, and fraudulent home-health claims. Federal agents raided company facilities in March 1997; Scott resigned as CEO in July 1997 under board pressure. Scott himself was never indicted. He invoked the Fifth Amendment 75 times during a civil deposition in 2000. The company (renamed HCA) pleaded guilty to 14 corporate felonies in December 2000, paying approximately $840 million in criminal fines, civil penalties, and damages. In June 2003, HCA paid an additional $881 million plus $250 million to CMS, totaling $1.7 billion — the largest healthcare fraud settlement in U.S. history at the time. Scott departed with a $9.88 million cash settlement and 10 million company shares worth approximately $350 million.
resolved — Solantic Employment Discrimination Lawsuit and Settlement business
Seven current and former Solantic supervisors filed a civil employment discrimination lawsuit in July 2006 against Solantic, the urgent-care chain co-founded by Rick Scott. Plaintiffs alleged that from 2003 to 2005, supervisors were directed not to hire candidates who were overweight, elderly, Hispanic, or Black, and that those who refused to enforce these discriminatory policies were fired or forced to resign. A regional medical director alleged Scott himself encouraged hiring 'mainstream' candidates. Solantic settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount on May 23, 2007; all plaintiffs were subject to a confidentiality agreement.
resolved — FEC MUR 7451 — Ring Power Corp Illegal Contribution to Pro-Scott Super PAC business
The FEC fined Ring Power Corp. $9,500 for making an illegal $50,000 contribution — as a federal contractor — to New Republican PAC, which spent over $29 million supporting Rick Scott's 2018 Senate bid. The penalty was assessed against the contributing company, not against Scott or his campaign. The New Republican PAC returned the money and was not found to have knowingly solicited the illegal contribution.