Florida’s Richest Person Worth $13.4 Billion

PALM BEACH, FL — Hungarian native Thomas Peterffy came to America “penniless” in 1965. Fast-forward to 2017, and the current Palm Beach resident is considered Florida’s wealthiest person with an amassed net worth estimated at $13.4 billion, according to Forbes.

Peterffy’s net worth earned him the honor of being named Florida’s wealthiest person in a recent ranking released by Forbes. The ranking casts a spotlight on the wealthiest residents in each state and across the nation. Peterffy’s holdings make him the 15th-wealthiest person on the “Richest Person in Every State 2017” ranking.

While the discount brokerage founder’s wealth was estimated at $13.2 billion when Forbes’ published its rankings report on Wednesday, the dollar amount rose to $13.4 billion as of Friday, according to Forbes’ “real time net worth” tracker on Peterffy. The self-made billionaire is the founder and CEO of Interactive Brokers. His company is considered a “pioneer of digital trading,” according to his Forbes’ profile. The firm was founded 1993.

Peterffy’s fortune is most impressive, but it does pale in comparison with the wealth accumulated by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who is not only Washington state’s richest resident, but also the richest person in the world with a fortune estimated at $88.9 billion, according to Forbes. Gates is about $12.9 billion richer this year than last, largely due to the rising stock market, Forbes said. Amazon CEO and fellow Washington resident Jeff Bezos is close on Gates' heels, with a net worth of $83.3 billion thanks to a nearly 50 percent bump in the online retailer's stock prices this year, according to Forbes.

In other states, it’s not even close. Warren Buffett, the second-richest person on the list, is 20 times wealthier than Walter Scott Jr., Nebraska’s second-wealthiest individual. Both made their fortunes at Berkshire Hathaway.

Read the full list of the richest people in every state. Together, the 52 people on the new Forbes list (there were ties in two states) are worth $747 billion. Forbes said that in all but one case, those on the list are wealthier than they were in the 2016 rankings, their fortunes rising by $1.74 billion on average.

The list is separate from the Forbes' annual list of the world's billionaires, released in March.

Beth Dalbey (Patch National Staff) contributed to this report

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