Tweets conflate Ron DeSantis’ massive campaign fundraising with his net worth

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has raised a large sum of money for his re-election bid, topping $100 million in April. 

Those same fundraising talents have fueled several misleading claims on social media. 

"Is ANYONE asking how Ron DeSantis was worth $340,000 in 2020 and is now worth $52 million?" a May 8 tweet read. 

"This is corruption for sure," one user replied. "Kickbacks."

The tweet is wrong, but that didn’t stop it from being retweeted more than 20,000 times — including by Janet Long, Pinellas County commissioner and former Democratic member of the Florida House. Long, who did not respond to our request for comment, undid her retweet.

Similar claims that DeSantis had dramatically increased his net worth have appeared on Twitter since at least late March. But they conflate net worth with how much he has fundraised for his re-election.

State elected officials must file a financial disclosure to the Florida Commission of Ethics by July 1 each year. These filings detail the officials' assets, liabilities, and sources of income.

The commission also asks that each elected official note their net worth, calculated by totaling the value of all their assets — such as cash and property — and subtracting any debt owed. 

DeSantis listed his 2020 net worth at $348,832, an increase of more than $57,000 from the year prior. His gubernatorial salary of $134,181 was the only source of income recorded in the filing.

DeSantis also reported assets in a USAA account, a government thrift savings plan and the Florida Retirement System. His increase in net worth is linked to these assets. 

So, where were people getting an increase to $52 million? That figure appeared in news coverage about donations that DeSantis' re-election campaign raised in the first eight months of 2021.

Friends of Ron DeSantis, his political committee, reported raising around $52 million as of Sept. 1, 2021. (He has since raised more than twice that amount.)

"Political campaign fundraising is NOT net worth," DeSantis press secretary Christina Pushaw tweeted on March 19. "All of this info is reported in detail for Florida public officials."

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Such fundraising dollars are not permitted to be used for a candidate’s personal expenses, according to state statutes. Florida’s Constitution also prohibits DeSantis from using his position to obtain a "disproportionate benefit" for himself. 

DeSantis came from more of a middle-class background in Dunedin, Florida. His mother worked as a nurse, and his father installed boxes that monitored TV ratings for Nielsen.

Before DeSantis began a career in politics, he served in the U.S. Navy as a JAG officer. After his service, DeSantis worked as a federal prosecutor. 

DeSantis' net worth is less than his Democratic gubernatorial opponents. According to the Florida Commission on Ethics, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried reported a net worth of $970,244, as of 2020.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist had an estimated net worth of $1.4 million in 2018, according to data maintained by the nonpartisan research organization, OpenSecrets. State Sen. Annette Taddeo listed her net worth at about $1 million.

A tweet said DeSantis "was worth $340,000 in 2020 and is now worth $52 million."

DeSantis has not yet reported his net worth for 2021. PolitiFact found no credible evidence to substantiate the claim that he had such a massive financial increase. 

The figure used in the tweet seems to be derived from campaign filings in September 2021, which indicated that DeSantis raked in around $52 million in donations. 

We rate this claim False.