Ron DeSantis found out one thing about his fortune that he never saw coming

Ron DeSantis thought he had his financial future figured out.

The Florida Governor’s been riding high on his book deal earnings for years.

But Ron DeSantis found out one thing about his fortune that he never saw coming.

DeSantis’ Net Worth Jumps to Over $2 Million

DeSantis just dropped his annual financial disclosure report, and the numbers are eye-opening.

The Florida Governor’s sitting on $2,087,550 as of December 31, 2024.¹

That’s nearly $315,000 more than last year’s $1,773,157.

And where’d all that extra cash come from?

Another fat $625,500 check from HarperCollins Publishers for his book “The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival.”²

The guy’s been cashing in on this book deal for three straight years now.

He received the same $625,500 amount in 2023 and a whopping $1.25 million advance from HarperCollins in 2022.³

Before the book deal transformed his finances, DeSantis had a modest net worth of just $318,986 in 2021.

The book, which detailed his political philosophy and criticism of the “woke agenda,” became a bestseller despite lukewarm reviews from critics.

It debuted at the top of both The New York Times Best Seller List and Amazon’s bestseller list.

Interestingly, DeSantis’ book outsold Donald Trump’s “Great Again: How to Fix Our Crippled America” in first-week sales, moving 94,300 copies compared to Trump’s 27,500.⁴

Trump called those numbers “fake news” and claimed groups were buying DeSantis’ book to inflate sales.

DeSantis Lives Modestly Despite Growing Wealth

Here’s the thing about DeSantis and his money – he’s not living like some flashy politician.

The guy doesn’t own a single piece of real estate or any stocks.

He and his family just live in the governor’s mansion like every other Florida governor.

His 2024 income? Just his $141,400 state paycheck and that book money.⁵

DeSantis has always said politicians shouldn’t own stocks because it looks bad.

DeSantis keeps his money in simple accounts: over half a million in USAA bank accounts, more than $1.3 million with Interactive Brokers, nearly $100,000 in federal retirement savings, and about $117,000 in Florida’s state retirement system.

The Governor’s only liability remains $15,095 in student loan debt from his Ivy League education at Yale University and Harvard Law School.

He’s whittled that down from $17,000 in 2023, so he’s actually paying off his college debt.

What This Means for DeSantis’ Political Future

Now here’s where things get interesting for DeSantis.

Term limits are gonna boot him out of office after 2026, and nobody knows what’s next.

Some allies hope he could still land a role in the Trump administration, especially after President Trump held a friendly event with him in Florida where Trump said they have “blood that seems to match pretty well.”⁶

If First Lady Casey DeSantis were to run for governor and win, the family wouldn’t need to move out of the governor’s mansion in January 2027.

However, rumors and pressure from Republican donors haven’t yet resulted in an official announcement from Casey DeSantis about a potential gubernatorial run.

The financial disclosure reflects DeSantis’ position at the end of 2024, so any property purchases in 2025 wouldn’t appear until his final disclosure in July 2026.

Despite his increased wealth, Florida has become significantly more expensive since DeSantis took office in 2019, with higher property insurance rates, increased building costs, and rising property taxes.

DeSantis is pushing the Legislature and voters to address these property tax issues.

The Controversy That Won’t Go Away

But wait – there’s a problem that’s been dogging DeSantis and his wife.

They’re getting hammered over how public money got funneled around.

The whole mess involves Hope Florida, which is Casey DeSantis’ pet charity project she’s been pushing since 2021.

The organization received an extraordinary $10 million donation as part of a judicial settlement involving overpayments of Medicaid between the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration and the company Centene.⁷

Republican legislators are questioning the legality of the procedure and warning about possible political use of public resources.

People are asking tough questions about why taxpayer money went to the First Lady’s charity.

The timing couldn’t be worse – DeSantis is getting richer while this controversy explodes.

For a guy who talks big about fiscal responsibility, this Hope Florida mess is a real headache.

His book deal made him wealthy, but this public money scandal could wreck everything.

You’ve got a Governor who figured out how to cash in on his political fame, but now he’s dealing with questions about mixing personal gain with public service.

¹ News Service of Florida, “Governor DeSantis’ net worth tops $2 million,” July 6, 2025. ² Ibid. ³ Ibid. ⁴ C.A. Bridges, “What is DeSantis’ net worth? Florida governor is making more money these days,” USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida, July 2025. ⁵ News Service of Florida, “Governor DeSantis’ net worth tops $2 million,” July 6, 2025. ⁶ Kimberly Leonard, “DeSantis tops $2M net worth,” Politico, July 2, 2025. ⁷ Source documents provided.